


魔女 | Witch Hunt

by The_Sassiest_Trixster



Series: NCT [14]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:47:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28666461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sassiest_Trixster/pseuds/The_Sassiest_Trixster
Summary: Once upon a time, a young prince and a young witch fall in love in a kingdom where witches are forbidden and even burned at the stake.  What will the two star-crossed lovers do to protect their love from those who want to destroy it?  And will secrets be revealed in the process?
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng & Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Dong Si Cheng & Suh Youngho | Johnny, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Nakamoto Yuta & Lee Donghyuck/Haechan, Nakamoto Yuta & Mark Lee, Qian Kun & Dong Si Cheng, Qian Kun & Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Qian Kun & Mark Lee, Qian Kun & Nakamoto Yuta, Suh Youngho | Johnny & Lee Donghyuck/Haechan, Suh Youngho | Johnny & Mark Lee, Suh Youngho | Johnny & Qian Kun
Series: NCT [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668625
Comments: 22
Kudos: 31





	1. Lee Donghyuck

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by 魔女 (Witch Hunt), a Vocaloid song.  
> Song found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOhNlTt5lzo

Once upon a time, on a bright and sunny day, a tall young man with light skin, brown hair, and brown eyes by the name of Prince Mark Lee went out in the local market, eyes wide as he looked around at everything he wasn’t allowed to experience when he was younger. (He was a prince; it wasn’t right for him to go outside and mingle among the common people). As he was looking around, he noticed a strange person in a black cloak with the hood standing suspiciously by a bread stand. He frowned and took a step closer to see why the person was standing so close to the stand when he saw the person steal two small rolls right from underneath the shop owner’s nose. Mark’s eyes widened in shock and he opened his mouth to say something when the person in the black cloak walked away from the stand and quickly made his way down the crowded street. Mark blinked before he quickly took after the mysterious person, following him through the crowded street until he noticed the man walking up to a bunch of street urchins begging. He paused and hung back, continuing to watch as the man knelt before the children, removing his hood to reveal brown hair.

_‘Pretty’_ Mark thought to himself as he continued to watch as the man, (young man Mark was sure he was a young man) break the bread rolls in half and hand them out to the children. The young man then laughed along with the children, ruffling their hair and pinching their cheeks before he stood up and turned, immediately noticing Mark. His eyes widened before they flashed purple, and he quickly stormed up to Mark, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

“Were you following me?” he hissed. Mark blinked before he nodded.

“Well yeah” he replied. The young man snarled.

“Why?” he demanded. Mark huffed.

“I noticed you stealing and I was going to confront you about it till I realized who you were stealing for. Now I’m not going to say anything” he replied. The young man narrowed his eyes.

“Why?” he asked, letting go of the front of Mark’s shirt. Mark shrugged.

“Because you’re not a bad person. You’re just helping out the less fortunate. I’m not going to report you for helping someone” he stated as he fixed his shirt. The young man continued to stare at him before he hummed.

“You’re a strange one, I’ll give you that” he mused before he threw up his hood and began to walk away. Mark’s eyes widened and he quickly reached out, grabbing the young man by the wrist, causing him to whirl around and glare at Mark with glowing purple eyes.

“Woah” Mark breathed as he stared at the young man. 

“What?” the young man hissed. Mark shook his head before he cleared his throat.

“I never got your name” he explained. The young man blinked before he huffed.

“Lee Donghyuck” he replied. Mark smiled and let go of the young man’s wrist.

“Mark Lee” he greeted. Donghyuck hummed in reply as Mark pointed to Donghyuck’s glowing eyes.

“Your eyes are really pretty” he stated. Donghyuck blinked; no one ever told him that his eyes looked pretty, save for his parents, who were long dead by now.

“Really?” he whispered. Mark nodded.

“Yeah; they’re like a really pretty shade of lilac” he replied. Donghyuck blushed before he cleared his throat.

“Thank you” he replied before he turned and walked off, Mark’s eyes widening before he rushed after him.

“Where are you going?” he asked, arriving at Donghyuck’s side. Donghyuck glanced over at him, eyes no longer glowing, and huffed.

“Why are you following me?” he grumbled. Mark pouted.

“I don’t really…have any friends, being a prince and all” he murmured. Donghyuck stopped and looked at him in shock.

“You’re a prince?” he whispered. Mark looked back at him and nodded.

“Not just _a_ prince, I’m _the_ prince of this kingdom, Prince Mark Lee” he replied. Donghyuck shook his head.

“You don’t…look like a prince though” he murmured as he continued to walk, Mark still at his side.

“I know, that’s like the whole point. I’m trying not to be seen” Mark explained. Donghyuck huffed.

“Must be nice” he grumbled. Mark sighed.

“Sometimes, but it gets lonely” he murmured. Donghyuck nodded.

“I feel ya” he agreed. Mark looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“You do?” he asked. Donghyuck stopped walking, making Mark stop too, before he looked him in the eyes.

“Mark, do you know what I am?” he asked. Mark was quiet before he nodded.

“Yeah. You’re a witch” he replied, as if it was the most simplest thing in the world. Donghyuck nodded.

“Exactly. I know what it’s like to be alone because I’m alone all the time. My parents died when I was young, I’m living in a place where witches aren’t accepted, so I’m basically alone” he declared. Mark frowned.

“I’m sorry…that sucks” he murmured. Donghyuck shrugged.

“It’s the life of a witch” he replied before he looked at Mark with narrowed eyes.

“If you know that I’m a witch, why aren’t you running in fear, like everyone else would?” he asked. Mark shrugged.

“You don’t seem that scary” he stated. Donghyuck laughed.

“Oh, you don’t know how scary I can be, Mark” he declared. Mark chuckled.

“I don’t doubt it” he replied before he crossed his arms.

“You hungry?” he asked. Donghyuck blinked.

“What?” he replied. Mark motioned to him.

“You hungry? I’ll buy you something from one of these stalls” he offered. Donghyuck blinked before he nodded.

“Sure” he replied. He and Mark then began walking through the market before Mark stopped at a stall selling grilled meat cubes on a stick, buying a stick before turning and handing it to Donghyuck.

“Here. My treat” he stated. Donghyuck reached out and took it, looking at him with wide eyes before he took a bite; a small smile gracing his face. Mark smiled as well before he turned back to the stall and bought two more sticks, dipping his head to the stall owner before turning and walking away, Donghyuck following him.

“Thank you. This is really good” Donghyuck thanked. Mark smiled as he took a bite of his own skewer, humming happily.

“You’re right” he agreed. Both men then continued to walk through the market, enjoying each other’s company, when a tall young man with light skin, midnight blue hair, and brown eyes ran up to them.

“Mark! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Where the hell have you been?!” he exclaimed. Mark’s eyes widened before he glanced over at Donghyuck, only to find that he had disappeared. He blinked in shock before he looked back at the young man looking at him.

“Sorry Yuta hyung…I just wanted to get out of the palace” he explained. Yuta huffed before he reached out and snatched the other meat skewer from Mark’s hand, taking a bite.

“I get that you get bored, but you’re a prince, Mark. You can’t just be running off without telling somebody where you’re going” he scolded. Mark sighed.

“Sorry. Why are you out of the palace? Besides looking for me, of course” he stated. Yuta motioned towards the castle.

“Your father is going to do another public execution of a witch. He wants you to be there to view it” he explained. At the word “witch”, Mark’s blood ran cold and he discretely glanced around to try and see if Donghyuck was around, but he was still nowhere to be found. He then looked back at Yuta and groaned.

“Do I have to watch?” he asked. Yuta sighed.

“Unfortunately, you do” he replied. Mark sighed again before Yuta motioned with his head for Mark to follow him back to the palace. Unknown to them, Donghyuck had been watching the whole time from the shadows. He huffed before he quietly slipped out of the shadows, making sure that no one noticed before he followed after Mark and Yuta.


	2. A Secret Shared

Back at the palace, Yuta helped Mark change into his royal uniform before escorting him to the balcony, where his father was waiting for him.

“Ah, Mark. There you are. Are you ready to watch?” he asked. Mark glanced at him before he sighed.

“Yes father” he replied, lying through his teeth. He hated these public executions and he hated how he always had to be there to watch them. The King then smiled.

“Good” he replied before he looked down at the executioner and waved his hand, signaling for him to start. Mark sighed again before he turned and watched as the executioner walked over to the poor woman (it was always a woman) tied to a stake, carrying a torch. He watched as the executioner then raised his arm and threw the torch onto the large pile of wood underneath the young woman, causing her to scream in fear and in agony. Mark shut his eyes and turned his head away; this was his least favorite part. As he was looking away, he opened his eyes and began to looking around the crowd, eyes immediately zeroing in on one particular person: Donghyuck. 

_‘The hell is he doing here?’_ he thought to himself, eyes widening in horror. He continued to watch Donghyuck instead of watching the execution, trying to read his emotions; Donghyuck’s face, however, was blank. His face betrayed nothing, which Mark found impressive because his face was like an open book; you could see everything he was thinking just by looking at his face.

“Are you paying attention Mark?” the King asked, looking over at him. Mark’s eyes widened and he quickly looked back up at the execution, watching as the fire basically continued to burn/eat the woman alive.

“Yes father” he croaked. The King hummed and continued to watch the burning while Mark’s attention slowly turned back to look at Donghyuck, only to find that he was gone. His eyes widened and he looked around, trying to figure out where he went, when the King looked over at him again.

“Mark” he started, making Mark look back at him.

“Yes father?” he asked.

“If you ever see a witch in this kingdom, you report them, do you understand?” the King instructed. Mark looked at him with wide eyes before he nodded.

“Yes father. Am I dismissed?” he asked. The King waved his hand, causing Mark to bolt, rushing to his room to strip out of his royal uniform. He then changed back into his plain clothes and rushed out of the palace, running back into the village. He looked around, trying to find any sign of Donghyuck, but the man was gone; like he had never existed. 

“Well the actual hell?” he murmured as he continued to walk through the village.

“Donghyuck, where the hell are you?” he whispered under his breath, just as he noticed the two young children Donghyuck had fed earlier. He didn’t see a man in a cloak near them, but maybe they knew where he would be if he asked. However, he knew enough about street children that they wouldn’t talk unless they were given something, whether it be food or coin. He didn’t have a lot of money on him, but he was sure that the children would appreciate food more than they would money, so he walked over to the meat stall and bought four skewers of meat. He then walked over to the street urchin, kneeling down before them.

“Here, for you” he stated, handing them each two skewers. The children looked at him in shock before they greedily grabbed the skewers and began devouring them.

“Did you happen to see the young man in a cloak anywhere?” he asked as they ate. The two children looked at him before one of the children pointed next to him, making him frown before he turned and saw Donghyuck standing next to him, looking down at him.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, falling over in shock. 

“Heard you were looking for me?” Donghyuck asked, raising an eyebrow. Mark huffed and pushed himself to his feet, brushing off his pants before he looked at Donghyuck.

“Why were you at the execution? I’d have thought you’d stay away from things like that” he stated. Donghyuck hummed before he motioned for Mark to follow him. Mark raised an eyebrow before he followed after Donghyuck, turning back to wave goodbye to the street children before he rushed to catch up with Donghyuck.

“So?” Mark asked as they were far enough away from the children. Donghyuck was quiet before he sighed.

“I knew her” he murmured. Mark’s eyes widened.

“Was she a witch?” he asked, voice low since there were kind of a lot of people around. Donghyuck shook his head.

“Not that I know of” he replied. Mark hummed as Donghyuck sighed.

“She doesn’t have any family, so I thought I would at least be there to see her take her last breath” he murmured. Mark was quiet before he sighed.

“I’m sorry” he murmured. Donghyuck huffed.

“Don’t be” he replied before he crossed his arms.

“Why were you looking me?” he asked. Mark was quiet before he shook his head.

“I don’t know. I just saw you there at the execution and I just…” he started, shaking his head again. Donghyuck hummed before he smirked.

“I appreciate your concern” he stated. Mark chuckled.

“No problem” he replied, just as he noticed some palace guards walking into the village. 

“Oh shit, hide” he whispered, grabbing Donghyuck by the arm. He then dragged him into a small area that was just big enough for two people and held him close, keeping an eye out for the guards. Meanwhile, Donghyuck was leaning against Mark’s chest, eyes wide in shock; he never expected to be so close to the prince, especially not like this. As they stayed like this, with Mark hugging Donghyuck close to his chest, Mark kept an eye out for the guards, wondering where they went. A moment later, the guards came back, dragging the two street urchins behind them.

“Oh no” he whispered. Donghyuck turned his head and when he saw the two street children, his eyes widened and he pushed away from Mark, rushing out of the hiding spot.

“Hyuck” Mark hissed as he ran after the young witch, grabbing him by the wrists.

“What are you doing?” Donghyuck hissed, turning to face Mark, his eyes flashing lilac. 

“Trying to keep you from doing something stupid and getting caught” Mark hissed back, pulling Donghyuck towards him.

“And you’re okay with them just taking away those innocent kids?” Donghyuck exclaimed softly, looking Mark in his eyes.

“Of course not. Just let me handle this” Mark instructed. Donghyuck huffed but stepped back as Mark stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“Hey! What are you doing with those kids?” he called out, making his voice loud enough to gain some attention from other villagers who were around them. One of the guards stopped and turned, looking back at them.

“The priestess said that there were witches in the village” he explained.

“So you chose a child?! An innocent child?!” Donghyuck exclaimed. 

“The priestess said that witches manifest their powers at a young age—” the other guard explained, turning around to face them and the other villagers as well.

“BUT A CHILD?!” Donghyuck screamed. Mark looked over at him, eyes filled with worry; Donghyuck sounded like he was about to snap soon.

“Hyuck…” he started, just as the sound of horse hooves could be heard. Everyone looked up to see Yuta, on horseback, riding towards them, an annoyed look on his face.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded as he jumped off his horse and walked over to the two guards. The two guards froze before slowly turning to face Yuta, fear on their faces. Besides being Mark’s bodyguard, Yuta was also the captain of the guards, making him one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, besides Mark and the King.

“Well?” Yuta asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. 

“They were taking these children away because some fucking priestess said that there were witches in the village and that witches manifest their powers at a young age!” Donghyuck exclaimed. Yuta looked over at him before he looked back at the guards.

“Is that true?” he asked. The guards gulped.

“I mean…” one of them started when Yuta stepped forward and grabbed one of them by the front of their uniform.

“Were you really going to burn innocent children at the stake?” he hissed. 

“Yes?” one of the guards whimpered. Yuta tsked and shoved the guard he was holding away, a look of disgust on his face.

“Get out of my sight. You two are stripped of your status. Leave the kingdom” he ordered. The guards looked at him in shock.

“But—” one guard started.

“THAT’S AN ORDER!” Yuta barked. The guards froze before they nodded, quickly letting go of the children before running off, not wanting to make Yuta any angrier. Once they were gone, Yuta looked up at the crowd and waved his hand, dispersing them. The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving Mark and Donghyuck alone. Yuta looked at Mark and huffed before he took the two children by their hands and led them over to Mark and Donghyuck, letting go of their hands.

“Alright, you can go” Yuta murmured. The two children nodded and quickly ran off, disappearing from sight. After they left, Yuta looked at Mark and crossed his arms.

“I leave you for one second and you’re already in trouble again. The fuck, kid?” he grumbled. Mark rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry hyung” he apologized. Yuta huffed and waved his hand before he looked over at Donghyuck.

“And who’s this?” he asked. Donghyuck blinked as Mark looked over at him.

“This is Donghyuck. He’s my friend” he introduced. Yuta raised an eyebrow.

“Friend, hmm? You don’t have many of those” he mused. Mark sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, I know” he agreed before he looked over at Donghyuck.

“Hey, I know we just met but…do you mind if I—” he started, motioning with his eyes towards Yuta. Donghyuck glanced over at Yuta before he sighed.

“I mean…as long as you trust him with your life, then I guess” he agreed. Mark looked at him in shock.

“Woah, really? I thought you’d be more against it” he stated. Donghyuck shrugged.

“It’s you so…I guess it’s okay” he replied. Mark grinned before he looked over at Yuta, who just looked confused.

“What’s happening?” he asked. Mark looked over at him and motioned for him to come over before he looked at Donghyuck.

“Where should we go so that it’s only the three of us?” he asked. Donghyuck shook his head.

“I don’t know. Where we usually meet?” he replied. Mark nodded and motioned for Donghyuck to lead the way while he and Yuta followed behind. 

“What are we doing?” Yuta asked, looking over at Mark. Mark smiled.

“You’ll see” he assured. Yuta huffed.

“I have a bad feeling about this” he murmured to himself.

~*~*~*~*~

When Yuta, Mark, and Donghyuck reached Mark and Donghyuck’s special meeting place, the children were nowhere to be seen (probably hiding). Mark and Donghyuck then turned to face Yuta, who was looking between them with a frown on his face.

“What’s going on? What do you want to show me?” he asked. Mark said nothing and just looked over at Donghyuck, who took a deep breath before opening his eyes, revealing his glowing lilac irises. Yuta’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock.

“Son of a…don’t fucking tell me you’re a—” he started, pointing to Donghyuck.

“I am” Donghyuck declared. Yuta blinked a couple of times before he looked at Mark.

“Are you fucking insane?! What if the king finds out?!” he hissed. Mark shook his head.

“He’s not going to find out. Because you’re not going to tell him” he stated, giving Yuta a look. Yuta looked back at him like he was crazy.

“Not tell him?! Mark, I have to tell him! He’s a witch! They’re dangerous!” he hissed, motioning to Donghyuck. Mark shook his head.

“Not Haechan. Not him” he assured. Donghyuck looked over at him and frowned.

“Haechan?” he repeated. Mark looked at him and smiled.

“It means “Full Sun”. Whenever I look at you, all I think of is the sun” he explained. Donghyuck blushed while Yuta made a gagging noise.

“Gross” he grumbled before he pointed at Mark.

“If the king ever finds out that you’re friends with a witch, and my ass gets executed, your head is next on the fucking chopping block, you hear me? I don’t care if you’re the fucking prince; if I die, your ass is coming with me” he declared. Mark laughed before he stepped forward and threw his arms around Yuta.

“You’re the best hyung!” he exclaimed. Yuta huffed and patted his head.

“Yeah, yeah, I know” he agreed before he let go of Mark and pointed at Donghyuck.

“You better not do anything fucking stupid now that I’m risking my ass by keeping your secret” he warned. Donghyuck smiled.

“I won’t, I promise” he assured. Yuta huffed again for god knows how many times already.

“The prince…friends with a fucking witch…what the hell” he murmured. Donghyuck just smiled before he walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

“Hyung~” he cooed, making Yuta look at him in shock.

“Oh no, don’t you “hyung~” me. You don’t get that privilege yet” he replied, giving Donghyuck’s cheek a gentle pinch. Donghyuck whined in pain while Mark just laughed. This could work. Donghyuck’s secret would be safe with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	3. Witch Trial

Over the next few months, the “witch hunts” stopped and everything was calm and peaceful. However, one day, the “witch hunts” picked back up and in full force; guards were going out at multiple times a day and grabbing people, taking them away. Mark and Donghyuck had witnessed it at least three times; Mark always having to hold Donghyuck back from flying after the guards. Yuta was even taken at one point and he nearly flew off the handle, threatening to strip the soldiers of their ranks and send them out of the kingdom. After that, Yuta was left alone but the people around Yuta were taken, servants, chefs, guards, etc. Soon almost the whole palace was empty, save for Yuta, a few guards, the King’s servants, and Mark. 

~*~*~*~*~

When Mark returned to the palace and noticed how empty it was, he quickly went to search for Yuta. When he found him, the man was pacing back and forth, an annoyed look on his face.

“Hyung! Where is everybody?” Mark exclaimed, walking over to him.

“The priestess took them” Yuta replied, irritation in his voice. 

“That damn priestess again?” Donghyuck hissed, slipping out of the shadows, causing Yuta to jump.

“Jesus, kid, don’t fucking do that” Yuta scolded, turning to glare at Donghyuck. Donghyuck smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry hyung” he apologized. Yuta huffed and shook his head while Mark crossed his arms.

“Why is the priestess doing this?” he demanded. Yuta shook his head.

“No idea” he replied. Donghyuck huffed.

“She seems hellbent on wiping out witches…which I guess is what she’s looking for” he mused. Mark looked over at him.

“Are there any other witches around? Have you sensed them?” he asked. Donghyuck shook his head.

“No, it’s just me here. I haven’t sensed any other witches enter the kingdom. I know that there are witches outside the kingdom, but I haven’t felt them enter” he replied. Yuta hummed.

“Is there a reason _why_ the priestess is doing this? Besides getting rid of the witches?” he wondered. Mark and Donghyuck looked over at him and frowned.

“What, like she has an ulterior motive or something?” Mark asked. Yuta shrugged.

“Maybe” he replied. Donghyuck huffed.

You think we should go confront her about it?” he asked. Yuta and Mark looked over at him.

“Who? You?!” Mark exclaimed. Donghyuck shrugged.

“Why not?” he replied. Yuta shook his head.

“That’s a suicide mission, kid” he stated. Donghyuck huffed.

“Well, if we don’t do something, she’s going to keep taking people until she finds what she’s looking for” he argued. Mark shook his head.

“So what, you want to play Jesus and be the “sacrificial lamb” so that she’ll stop?! People like her, like my father, are never going to stop!” he exclaimed. Donghyuck sighed.

“Mark, we don’t have another choice” he argued. Mark shook his head.

“I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself. I’m not” he snapped. Donghyuck growled, eyes flashing lilac. 

“Mark—” he started.

“I’m not!” Mark shouted. Donghyuck glared at him before he turned and walked away from them before slipping into the shadow. Mark’s eyes widened as he took a step forward.

“Haechan!” he shouted before he let out a groan.

“Ugh, that idiot! Why do I feel like he’s going to go and do something stupid now?” he grumbled. Yuta sighed.

“Cuz he probably is?” he replied. Mark glanced over at him before he sighed again.

“I hope not” he murmured.

~*~*~*~*~

The next few days, Mark hadn’t heard from Donghyuck, or even seen him. He went nearly every day into the village to look for him, even asking the street urchins if they had seen him, but they just shook their heads. After every time they told him no, Mark let out a groan and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head.

_‘Damn it, Haechan, where are you?’_ he thought to himself. He then left the children, not without buying them something to eat because it would be rude to ask for help without returning the favor, and headed back to the palace. Once he was back at the palace, he immediately sought out Yuta, who was looking over some reports.

“Hey, hyung, have you seen Haechan? Did he shadow jump you or anything?” he asked. Yuta looked over at him and shook his head.

“I haven’t seen the kid. Why you ask?” he replied. Mark let out a whine.

“I haven’t heard or seen him in days. What if something happened to him?” he exclaimed. Yuta huffed.

“Your boy’s smart. He wouldn’t let himself get caught” he assured, just as a guard ran up to them.

“Sir! Your Highness! A witch has just been caught!” they exclaimed. Yuta and Mark looked at one another with wide eyes before they rushed past the guard, leaving them very confused.

~*~*~*~*~

Mark and Yuta ran out of the palace and rushed to where a growing crowd was gathering, non-too-politely shoving people out of the way until they were in the front; Mark immediately coming to a halt.

“No” he croaked, eyes wide with horror. Being tied to the stake was Donghyuck, his face and body beaten and bruised.

“Oh god” Yuta whispered beside Mark. The two men watched as the guards finished tying Donghyuck to the stake before turning to look up towards the castle; Yuta and Mark turning as well to see the King standing at the balcony. He then waved his hand, giving them the signal to light the wood pile beneath Donghyuck’s feet on fire. The guards nodded as one guard reached over and grabbed the torch, throwing it onto the pile.

“HAECHAN!” Mark screamed as he took a step forward, hand stretched out to try and reach his friend. Yuta quickly grabbed him by the waist and held him back; he knew he was already gonna lose one kid, he couldn’t lose another. At Mark’s scream, Donghyuck opened his non-swollen eye and turned to face Mark, who now had tears streaming down his face.

“Mark” he croaked, watching as Mark struggled against Yuta’s hold before he finally broke free and ran over to the pyre, looking up at Donghyuck.

“Haechan. Haechan” Mark sobbed. Donghyuck smiled down weakly at him.

“Mark” he croaked. Mark let out a sob as he continued to look into Donghyuck’s eyes.

“You have to get away from here! Use your magic! Break free!” he shouted. 

“Mark get away from there!” the King shouted, causing the guards to jump into action, only to be stopped by Yuta, who drew his sword.

“Don’t you fucking touch him” he hissed. Mark glanced over at Yuta before he looked back at Donghyuck.

“Please, Haechan. You can’t die. You can’t, you just can’t!” he exclaimed. Donghyuck looked at him tiredly before he nodded.

“Okay” he agreed, his voice weak. However, before he could do anything, his eyes slipped shut and he slumped against the stake, causing Mark’s eyes to widen.

“HAECHAN!!” he screamed. Donghyuck didn’t stir.

“No, no, no, no, no, HAECHAN!!” Mark screamed again. Donghyuck was still silent and soon all the villagers around Mark began to clap because this was the fast death of a witch they had ever witnessed. Suddenly, the ground beneath everyone’s feet began to tremble and an unearthly scream pierced the air, causing Mark and everyone to look and see Donghyuck looking up at the sky, his mouth open in a scream.

“Haechan?” Mark whispered as two large black wings unfurled from Donghyuck’s back. The wings flapped once before Donghyuck shot into the air, the rope holding him snapping like stretched rubber bands.

“He’s getting away! Shoot him down! Marksman!” the King shouted. One of the guards picked up a crossbow and aimed it at Donghyuck; aiming to kill. Mark turned and saw him, eyes wide in horror.

“NO!” he screamed, running towards the Marksman and shoving him, causing him to fire _but_ completely miss Donghyuck. Up in the sky, Donghyuck felt the bolt shoot past him, causing him to pause and look back, wondering what the hell just flew past him. He looked down and saw Mark looking back at him, a teary smile on his face.

“FLY HAECHAN! FLY!!” he screamed. Donghyuck nodded briefly before he turned and flapped his wings, continuing to fly away. Down the on the ground, the Marksman growled and shoved Mark away before he loaded his crossbow and aimed at Donghyuck again; this time, he wasn’t going to miss. Before Mark could disrupt him again, he fired the bolt, hitting Donghyuck squarely in the shoulder. Donghyuck let out a scream of pain but continued to fly away, causing the Marksman growl before he loaded another bolt into the chamber and pulled the mechanism back before firing again, this time hitting Donghyuck square in the back. Donghyuck let out another scream of pain before he fell from the sky.

“HAECHAN!” Mark screamed, immediately taking off in the direction of where Donghyuck fell. 

“Mark!” Yuta shouted, but the prince ignored him and continued to run towards Donghyuck, shoving people out of his way as he way. Yuta let out a groan before he turned and ran in the opposite direction of Mark, actually running to a horse that was tied in a stable nearby. He then untied the hose and jumped on, quickly flicking the reins, spurring the horse into action as he raced after Mark; the sea of villagers parting for him like the Red Sea parted for Moses. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	4. Johnny Seo, Qian Kun, and Dong Sicheng

Mark continued to run through the village, looking around to see if he could see Donghyuck’s body, but he couldn’t see it anywhere. As he ran, he heard hooves galloping behind him, so he looked over his shoulder to see Yuta riding towards him.

“Mark! Take my hand!” Yuta shouted. Mark nodded, slowing down enough to reach out for Yuta’s outstretched hand. Yuta then grabbed him and skillfully pulled him onto the horse; Mark quickly wrapping his arms around Yuta’s waist.

“I think he fell in the forest!” Yuta shouted. Mark nodded.

“Let’s go there then!” he replied. Yuta nodded and flicked the reins again, causing the horse to gallop faster, galloping out of the kingdom.

~*~*~*~*~

The two men road out of the kingdom and into the nearby forest, looking around for Donghyuck when Mark finally spotted him in a clearing.

“Hyung! Over there!” he shouted, pointing to the clearing. Yuta looked over and saw the clearing, quickly steering the horse over to where Donghyuck lay. Once they arrived in the clear, Mark quickly jumped off the back of the horse and ran towards Donghyuck, not even realizing that a fireball was heading straight towards him.

“Mark, look out!” Yuta shouted. Mark froze and looked up, eyes widening when he saw the fireball.

“Mark!” Yuta screamed, quickly jumping off the horse and running over Mark, tackling him to the ground as the fireball crashed into the ground. The horse was so startled that it reared back on its hind legs before it took off, leaving Yuta and Mark alone in the forest.

“What the hell?” Mark groaned as he and Yuta pushed themselves to their feet. Just then, a tall young man with light skin, long dark brown hair, and glowing red eyes descended from the shadows; two large black wings protruding from his back while in his hand floated a fireball.

“Holy shit…” Yuta whispered as the man, _witch_ , glared at them.

“Are you the ones who did this? Did you do this to my son?” he snarled. Mark blinked in surprise.

“Son? Haechan’s your son?” he asked, confused. The man snarled.

“Answer my question first” he ordered. Mark raised his hands in surrender before he shook his head.

“We didn’t do this, we swear. My father and a priestess ordered his death. He escaped and was shot down. I swear, we weren’t the ones who did this” he swore. The man narrowed his eyes before he slowly lowered his hand, snuffing the fireball out before turning and kneeling beside Donghyuck’s body. 

“Oh my boy…” he murmured. 

“Is he—” Mark started, fear in his voice. The man looked over his shoulder at him before he shook his head.

“He’s badly injured, but he’ll live. They didn’t hit anything vital” he replied. Mark let out a sigh of relief and Yuta nodded, both men grateful. The man narrowed his eyes before he carefully reached out and picked Donghyuck up, carrying him like how he fell for he didn’t want to disturb the crossbow bolts in his body.

“Come. I’m sure he’ll want you there” he called out, not looking back at Mark and Yuta before he began walking towards the shadows. Mark and Yuta looked at each other before they quickly rushed after the man, following him into the forest.

~*~*~*~*~

The three men continued to walk through the forest until they came upon another small clearing, where a small cottage sat. The man walked towards the cottage, Mark and Yuta following behind. As they got closer, the door to the cottage opened and two men stepped out, a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes and a tall young man with light skin, blonde hair, and brown eyes. 

“Johnny. This way” the blonde man stated, motioning for the tall man, Johnny, to step inside. Johnny nodded and stepped into the cottage, the two men soon turning their attention to Yuta and Mark.

“Who are you?” the black haired man demanded.

“We’re Donghyuck’s friends” Mark replied. The black haired man narrowed his eyes while the blonde man smiled.

“Of course. Come in” he instructed. Mark and Yuta nodded gratefully, stepping inside the cottage while the black haired man looked at the blonde man.

“What are you doing? You’re just letting them in?!” he hissed. The blonde man huffed.

“They’re Donghyuck’s friends. And Johnny hasn’t flambéed them yet, so he must trust them; at least just a little” he replied. The black-haired man narrowed his eyes again before he huffed and stepped inside the cottage, the blonde man following him inside.

~*~*~*~*~

Inside the cottage, the two men walked over to where Johnny, Mark, and Yuta were standing around Donghyuck on a bed; tears in Mark’s eyes as he looked down at his best friend. 

“We’re going to need some space to work, so you need to step back” the black-haired man snapped. Johnny, Mark, and Yuta nodded and stepped away, allowing the black-haired man and the blonde man to work. While they began to work on removing the bolts from Donghyuck’s back (as well as treat his other injuries), Johnny looked over at Mark and Yuta.

“Who are you?” he asked. Mark looked over at him before he pointed to himself.

“Prince Mark Lee” he replied as he then motioned to Yuta.

“Captain Nakamoto Yuta” he continued. Yuta then crossed his arms before motioning with his chin to Johnny.

“And you?” he asked. Johnny huffed, eyes dimming from bright red to reveal a soft dark brown.

“Johnny Seo” he answered. Mark then titled his head at Johnny.

“You said that Haechan was your son…he told me that his parents died years ago” he stated. Johnny nodded.

“Yeah, his human parents died when he was a child. I found him one night and decided to care for him and raise him; teach him magic. He took to it like a duck to water” he explained, a bit of pride in his voice. Mark frowned.

“But he never mentioned you…” he explained. Johnny shrugged.

“I’m not surprised. We had a bit of a fight before he left the forest so he would intentionally leave me out” he replied. Mark nodded slowly in understanding just as there was a whimper from the bed, making all of them look over.

“I think he’s regained consciousness” the blonde man called out. Johnny, Mark and Yuta quickly walked over to the bed; Johnny kneeling down beside it while Mark and Yuta hung back.

“Donghyuck?” Johnny whispered, reaching out to gently brush Donghyuck’s bangs out of his eyes. Donghyuck let out a groan and opened his newly healed eye to see Johnny kneeling before him, a gentle smile on his face. 

“Appa…” he whimpered. Johnny smiled fondly and quickly stood to his feet before sitting down on the bed, gently and carefully taking Donghyuck into his arms. Donghyuck immediately buried his face into Johnny’s chest and began to cry; Johnny chuckled softly before he reached up and gently ran his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair, hushing him as he did. The blonde hair man smiled at the scene before he looked over at Mark, Yuta, and the black-haired man.

“Come, let’s go outside” he suggested. Mark and Yuta nodded, following the two men out of the cottage, giving Donghyuck and Johnny some alone time. 

~*~*~*~*~

Outside, the blonde man turned to face Yuta and Mark.

“I’m sorry, we’ve been rude. I’m Qian Kun and this is Dong Sicheng” he introduced, motioning to himself first before motioning to the black-haired man standing next to him. Mark then motioned to himself before motioning to Yuta.

“I’m Mark and this is Yuta” he replied. Sicheng hummed.

“I overheard you say that you were a prince. Is that true?” he asked. Mark nodded.

“Yeah, I’m the prince of the kingdom nearby. Yuta’s the captain of the guards” he explained. Kun frowned.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” he asked. Yuta motioned to the cottage.

“The kid. He was taken and beat before being tied to a stake and nearly burned alive” he explained. Kun and Sicheng’s eyes widened before they both bristled; Kun’s eyes glowing blue while Sicheng’s glowed pink.

“Then how the fuck did he get shot?” Sicheng hissed. Mark sighed.

“He escaped the stake and began to fly away when the Royal Marksman shot him with the crossbow bolts” he explained. Just then, the sound of hooves could be heard, making Mark’s head snap up.

“Oh shit…did they manage to find us?” he whispered, looking over at Yuta. Yuta shook his head.

“None of my men are that good at tracking…” he replied before his eyes widened.

“But your father is” he hissed, looking back at Mark. 

“My father?!” Mark exclaimed softly, just as the King and a few soldiers rode into the clearing. 

“There you are you filthy witches. Kidnapped my son and my captain, have you?” the King sneered. Mark’s eyes widened.

“Father! They haven’t kidnapped me! I’m fine!” he exclaimed. 

“Bah! You’re under their spell, Mark! Which means they must die for you to be cured!” the King declared before he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Kun and Sicheng.

“Kill them!” he ordered. The soldiers then rushed forward, swords drawn, when Kun suddenly knelt down and placed his hands on the ground, eyes glowing bright blue. The soldiers continued to run towards them, only to suddenly bounce off of nothing, making Mark look at him in confusion.

“What the fuck?” he hissed. 

“A magic barrier” Sicheng replied bluntly before he turned back to watch as the soldiers shook themselves before rushing at the barrier again, only to bounce off it again. 

“Hey, Sicheng, lend a hand will ya?” Kun called out, glancing over at Sicheng. Sicheng smirked.

“What, getting old?” he teased.

“Shut it, you brat” Kun replied, a smile on his face. Sicheng smirked again before he knelt down and placed his hands on the ground, eyes glowing pink as he fortified the barrier. Just then the cottage door opened, Johnny and Donghyuck stepping out; Johnny’s arms wrapped around Donghyuck’s waist.

“Haechan!” Mark exclaimed, looking over at the young witch. Donghyuck looked over at him and grinned before he looked up at Johnny.

“Can I–” he started when Johnny removed his arm from around his waist.

“Go” he replied. Donghyuck grinned even wider before he rushed over to Mark and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“Haechan” Mark breathed, burying his nose into Donghyuck’s shoulder as he wrapped his arms carefully around Donghyuck’s waist. While they were embracing, Johnny walked over to Yuta and crossed his arms.

“What’s this mess?” he asked, motioning with his chin to the soldiers who were hacking and slashing at the barrier with their swords.

“The King apparently followed us here and is claiming that the witches “kidnapped” us” Yuta explained, crossing his arms as well. Johnny hummed before he stepped forward and looked down at Kun and Sicheng.

“Shall I handle it from here, gentlemen?” he asked. Kun and Sicheng looked up at him and nodded.

“If you don’t mind” Kun replied. Johnny smirked before he cracked his knuckles. 

“Sure” he replied as he placed his palms together before separating them, creating a large ball of magic.

“Hold on to something boys!” he called out before he slowly floated into the air, unfurling his black wings. Mark and Donghyuck looked at one another before they quickly ran over to Yuta and clung to him; Yuta wrapping his arms around the two young men.

“On my count, drop the barrier” Johnny ordered. Sicheng and Kun nodded, beads of sweat on their forehead.

“1…2…3!” Johnny shouted. On “3”, Kun and Sicheng released their magic, dropping the barrier. The soldiers jumped, stunned, but before they could do anything, Johnny released the ball of magic towards them, creating a large explosion that sent all of them flying backwards. The blast was so strong that it nearly sent the others flying back too, but thankfully Johnny had warned them, so they were able to stand their ground. When the smoke cleared, all of the King’s men were on the ground, stunned and unconscious. The King was also on the ground, his leg broken from where his horse landed on him. As he struggled to get out from underneath the horse, Johnny floated down towards him, a fireball in his hand.

**“So…you’re the one who ordered my son’s death”** he snarled, eyes glowing bright red. The King looked up at him with fear in his eyes as Mark let go of Yuta and ran forward.

“Don’t! Johnny, don’t!” he begged. Johnny turned and looked down at him, narrowing his eyes.

**“Why not? He tried to kill my son”** he snarled. Mark shook his head.

“But if you kill him, you’ll be no better than him!” he exclaimed. Johnny chuckled. 

**“Here’s the thing, kid. I don’t care about being morally good or bad”** he replied before he fired the fireball at the King. Mark’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in horror, but to his surprise, the fireball landed next to his father’s head. 

**“But I’m not going to take a son away from his father”** Johnny declared as he landed next to Mark, folding his wings against his back. Mark looked up at him with teary eyes, a smile on his face. Johnny chuckled and reached up, ruffling Mark’s hair, while the King was looking at them with murder in his eyes.

“Get your hand off my son!” he shouted before he drew a small hand pistol, aiming it at Johnny. He then fired, but Mark was too fast, stepping in front Johnny, taking the bullet for him. 

“MARK!” Donghyuck screamed, watching as the prince collapsed against Johnny, who quickly caught him and slowly lowered to the ground. Johnny then looked up at the King, eyes glowing red, when the ground beneath them suddenly began to shake; a shaking sp much worse than when Donghyuck unleashed that unearthly scream at the stake. Thinking that it was Donghyuck who was growing angry, Johnny turned around to look, but to his (and everyone else’s) surprise, Yuta was the one who was glaring at the King with glowing silver eyes, his hands clenched into fists.

“Yuta hyung?” Donghyuck whispered, shock in his voice as he watched the man slowly rise into the air.

“You! What are you doing?!” the King shouted, looking at Yuta with horror.

**“I’ve put up with your bullshit and the murder of my people for too long! I’ve had enough!”** Yuta roared as he reached up, grabbing the earrings that were dangling from his earlobes.

“NO! Don’t touch those!” the King shouted, but Yuta ignored him; taking off the earrings before throwing them away somewhere in the forest. Everyone watched as he shut his eyes and took a deep breath, his body glowing brightly before a large blast of magic shot out of his body; the blast so strong that it nearly flattened the forest surrounding them. He then opened his eyes, his silver irises glowing brighter as a bright aura surrounded him.

**“Ah…it’s good to be at full strength again”** he purred before he descended from the sky; the earth trembling under his feet when he touched the ground. He then slowly stalked over to the King, like a tiger stalking his prey, and knelt before him, chuckling darkly as the King looked at him with fear in his eyes.

**“What’s wrong, Your Majesty? Afraid?”** he sneered before he reached out, grabbing the King by his throat, giving it a dangerous squeeze.

**“I put up with a lot of shit from you over the years, but the minute you touched those kids—”** he started, motioning first to Mark then Donghyuck, before looking the King dead in the eyes.

**“—you crossed a line”** he snarled. 

“Please…please, think about my son—” the King started.

**“Your son’s gonna be just fine. Without you in his life”** Johnny snarled, eyes still glowing bright red. He meant what he said at first about not wanting to tear Mark away from his father, but when said father goes and pulls this shit, he has no problem taking back his words. Yuta glanced over at him and smirked before he looked down at Mark, who was bleeding out in Johnny’s arms. 

**“Take the kids inside. They don’t need to see this”** he ordered. Johnny nodded and carefully picked Mark up, carrying him back to the cottage; Donghyuck quickly following him inside. Kun also headed inside while Sicheng remained outside, watching with a small smile on his face. Once they were inside, Yuta looked at the King and smirked.

**“Now…”** he purred, eyes glowing bright. The King whimpered in fear as Yuta continued close his hand around his neck before his eyes suddenly flashed and the King’s body burst into flames. The King let out a scream of pain as Yuta stood up, shaking the flames off his hands before he walked over and stood beside Sicheng, both men watching as the magical fire consumed the King before spreading to the bodies of the soldiers; the screams of the dying men echoing throughout the forest. When the fire finally died down, there was nothing left of the King and his men but ash, for Yuta’s fire was so strong that it left nothing but ash. 

“Bit extreme, don’t you think?” Sicheng murmured, glancing over at Yuta, who just shrugged. 

“I’ve dealt with his bullshit for years…I think it was a fitting death” he replied as he waved his hand, a gust of wind blowing away the ash. Sicheng hummed before he closed his hand into a fist and then opened it, revealing a pair of earrings. He then held it out to Yuta, who smiled and took them, putting them on.

“Thank you, Winko” he thanked. Sicheng nodded.

“Welcome back” he replied before he surged forward and threw his arms around Yuta. 

“I missed you” he whispered. Yuta smiled before he hugged him tightly.

“I missed you too” he replied. They then pulled away as Yuta looked towards the cottage.

“We should go inside; check on Mark” he explained. Sicheng nodded before he and Yuta walked inside the cottage, walking over to see Mark on the bed, Kun working meticulously on his stomach.

“How is he?” Yuta asked. Kun glanced over at him before he sighed.

“Not good” he replied. Yuta frowned.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked. 

“If you could send some of your magic into his body, that would make my job a lot fucking easier” Kun replied. Yuta nodded and reached out, placing a hand over Mark’s head before he shut his eyes, sending his magic into him. While he was sending his magic into Mark’s body, Kun got to work on carefully removing the bullet from Mark’s abdomen, making sure not to hit anything vital on its extraction. After he carefully removed the bullet from Mark’s abdomen, Sicheng stepped forward and waved his hand over Mark’s abdomen, healing the wound. Once his wound was healed, Sicheng and Kun stepped back as Yuta slowly stopped sending his magic into Mark’s body.

“Is he going to be okay?” Donghyuck croaked from where he was standing beside Johnny. Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng looked over at him before Kun smiled and nodded.

“He should be okay now” he assured. Donghyuck let out a sigh of relief before he looked at Yuta.

“Hyung…you’re a witch?” he asked hesitantly. Yuta smiled softly.

“Yes” he answered. Donghyuck shook his head.

“But I never sensed you the entire time I was in the kingdom!” he exclaimed. Yuta motioned to his earrings.

“The King gave me magic suppressing earrings to control my magic and basically make me human” he explained. Donghyuck looked at him in shock while Johnny raised an eyebrow.

“What are you gonna tell the kid?” he asked, looking over at Mark. Yuta looked over at him as well before he sighed.

“We’ll…figure that out when we get there” he murmured. Johnny hummed before he crossed his arms.

“I suggest maybe telling him the truth? About your magic as well as his father’s death” he stated. Yuta nodded.

“Alright” he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I apologize for accidentally posting the same chapter twice yesterday. My AO3 was glitching and accidentally posted the same chapter twice! Sorry!
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	5. Witch Hunt

A few hours later, Mark awoke with a yawn, alerting the others that he was awake. Donghyuck and Yuta were the first ones at his side, both of them looking at him with wide eyes.

“Mark? How are you feeling?” Yuta asked, his voice soft. Mark let out a groan before he looked at them.

“Like I’ve been shot” he replied. Donghyuck tsked and raised his hand, curling it into a fist.

“Aish…I should punch you for making a joke like that” he scolded. Mark flinched and covered his face as Johnny walked over and lowered Donghyuck’s hand.

“Ignore him; he was just worried about you. We all were” he stated. Kun and Sicheng walked over them, nodding in agreement. Mark smiled before a thought struck him and he looked over at Yuta.

“Hyung…what happened to my father?” he asked. Yuta gulped and glanced up at Johnny, who nodded. He then let out a heavy sigh before he looked down at Mark.

“Can you stand?” he asked. Mark frowned.

“I think so” he replied as he slowly sat up and turned, placing his feet on the ground. He then stood up, holding himself in place for a moment before he looked at Yuta.

“Yeah, I’m good” he declared. Yuta nodded.

“Okay. Let’s go outside” he instructed. Mark frowned again but did as he was told and followed Yuta outside the cottage. Once they were outside, Mark frowned.

“Hyung…where’s my dad?” he asked. Yuta looked at him before he sighed heavily.

“What do you remember?” he asked. Mark hummed.

“The last thing I remember is stepping in front of Johnny when father pulled out his gun and then a sharp pain in my abdomen. Other than that, I don’t remember much” he answered before he looked Yuta in the eyes.

“Why are you avoiding my question?” he demanded. Yuta sighed again.

“Mark…” he started.

“Where is my dad” Mark growled; he wanted answers and he wanted them now. Yuta looked at him before he hung his head.

“I killed him” he whispered. Mark’s eyes widened.

“You…what?” he croaked. Yuta lifted his head and looked him in the eyes, his own eyes glowing silver.

“I killed him” he declared. Mark’s eyes widened even further and his mouth fell open.

“Wha…you’re a—” he stammered. Yuta nodded. Mark shook his head.

“SINCE WHEN?!” he shouted. Yuta smiled sadly.

“My entire life” he replied. Mark blinked before he shook his head and stepped forward, grabbing Yuta by the front of his uniform.

“Why…why hyung? Why did you kill my dad?” he croaked. Yuta looked at him sadly.

“Because he shot you. So I snapped” he answered. Mark looked into his eyes, tears filling his own.

“But…he was my dad” he croaked. Yuta sighed.

“And a murderer” he reminded. Mark shook his head.

“But he…he…he was…he was all I had left…” he whispered before he let out a sob and slowly sunk to the ground. Yuta sunk down with him, looking at him sadly before he reached out and enveloped Mark in a hug, holding him tightly as the young prince broke down, sobbing into his uniform.

“Shh…shh…” he soothed as he rubbed Mark’s back. Mark continued to sob, burying his face in Yuta’s chest as he clutched as Yuta’s uniform, which he knew was soaked with his tears by now. 

“What am I going to do now?!” he wailed. Yuta hushed him and continued to rub his back as he felt tears come to his own eyes. They stayed like that for a while, Mark sobbing his heart out while Yuta tried desperately not to cry himself. After Mark basically had no tears left, he pulled away from Yuta and looked him in the eyes.

“So you’re telling me…that you have magic? That you’re a witch?” he croaked. Yuta nodded. Mark shook his head.

“Then how come I’ve never seen you use magic?” he asked. Yuta sighed.

“I wore earrings that suppressed my magic” he answered. Mark frowned and looked at the earrings Yuta was wearing.

“Are you wearing them now?” he asked. Yuta shook his head.

“No, I got rid of them. These earrings don’t suppress my magic” he stated. Mark titled his head to the side.

“Where did you get the earrings from?” he asked. Yuta looked at him, a pained expression on his face.

“Your father” he whispered. Mark’s eyes widened.

“He took away your magic?” he whispered, shocked. Yuta nodded. Mark shook his head again.

“WHY?!” he exclaimed. Yuta sighed.

“It’s…a long story” he replied. Mark looked at him before tears filled his eyes again.

“Hyung, I’m so…so sorry” he croaked. Yuta smiled and shook his head.

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault” he soothed as he reached out, wiping away a tear with his thumb. He then chuckled softly.

“If I hadn’t chosen the earrings, I would have never met you” he murmured. Mark looked at him and smiled weakly as he sniffled before he frowned.

“Why…did my father hate witches so much?” he asked. 

“Because…witches killed your mother” Yuta answered, his voice soft and pained. Mark looked at him in horror.

“What?” he whispered.

“It’s a terrible story” a voice called out, making Mark and Yuta look over to see Sicheng leaning against the door frame. 

“What…what happened?” Mark croaked. Sicheng motioned to the cottage.

“It’s better if you come inside” he stated. Mark frowned but pushed himself to his feet anyways, stumbling slightly as his legs were asleep from kneeling for so long. Yuta quickly shot to his feet, catching him before guiding him inside. 

~*~*~*~*~

Inside, Yuta let Mark over to one of the two couches in the cottage, sitting him down as Kun walked over and handed him a cup of tea.

“To calm your nerves” he murmured. Mark looked at him and smiled gratefully as he took a sip of the warm brew, instantly feeling it working. Yuta then sat down next to him as Mark looked at Sicheng.

“So…what about my mother?” he asked. Johnny, who were sitting on the other couch, let out a soft gasp, making Donghyuck look over at him.

“What?” he asked as Johnny looked at Mark.

“You don’t know?” he asked softly. Mark shook his head.

“My mom died when I was a baby…I don’t really anything about her. I only know what she looks like from the portraits that hang around the palace. But…father never really talked about her” he explained before he frowned.

“Do you know what happened to my mom?” he asked. Johnny huffed.

“All witches know. It basically tarnished our reputation” he grumbled. Donghyuck frowned.

“What happened?” he asked. Johnny shut his eyes and let out a heavy sigh before he took a deep breath.

“Alright…so many years ago…there was a very powerful witch who had a terrible grudge against the royal family” he began. Mark and Donghyuck frowned.

“Why?” Mark asked. Kun shook his head.

“No one knows. Not even the witches knew why this witch hated the royal family” he answered.

“All we knew was that because of this grudge, this witch ran rampant in the kingdom, wreaking havoc and chaos” Sicheng added. Johnny nodded.

“Yeah. And for a while, the king tolerated it; he never sent any guards after them, he never started war over it…he was actually a very kind and considerate king” he explained.

“Until the death of the queen” Donghyuck inferred. Kun nodded.

“Yes; until the death of the queen” he agreed. Mark frowned.

“How…do you know how my mother died?” he asked. Yuta, Sicheng, Johnny, and Kun looked at one another before they all looked at him.

“Are you sure you…want to hear the story?” Yuta asked gently. Mark looked over at him.

“After years of not knowing anything about my mom, I think I deserve to at least know how she died” he growled. Johnny sighed before he cleared his throat.

“Alright, fine. From what I remember, you and your family was taking a nice little carriage ride through the woods as it was rather safe back then. While you were riding along, the witch waited for the perfect moment before they threw a fireball underneath the carriage and exploded it” he stated. Mark and Donghyuck looked at him with wide eyes.

“Wha—” Mark croaked; Yuta quickly reaching over to wrap an arm around him, pulling him close. Johnny nodded.

“Your mother died on impact. Your father was severely injured and you…” he started.

“Almost didn’t make it” Kun finished. Mark looked over at him, frowning.

“What?” he whispered. Kun nodded before he motioned to Yuta. 

“He saved your life” he stated. Mark looked up at Yuta, who smiled sadly at him. 

“Is…is that how you came to work with father?” he asked. Yuta nodded.

“At first, your father thought that I was…harming you, since they couldn’t find the witch that caused the carriage explosion. But once he realized what I was doing, he gave me two options: come back to the kingdom and become your bodyguard or die on the spot. Guess which option I took” he replied. Mark looked at him, tears filling his eyes, before he threw his arms around Yuta, hugging him tightly. Donghyuck looked at them before he stood up and ran over to them, throwing his arms around both of them as well. Yuta looked at the two young men before he smiled and wrapped his arms around them, nuzzling their heads. When they pulled away, Donghyuck looked at Yuta.

“Did you ever figure out who killed Mark’s mom?” he asked. Sicheng shook his head.

“No; they’ve never been found. Both witches and humans are looking for them, but we’ve never been able to find them” he replied. Donghyuck looked over at him and smirked.

“Well…I think I figured out who killed Mark’s mom” he declared. Mark, Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng looked at him in shock.

“Who?” they exclaimed as Johnny frowned.

“And how?” he demanded. Donghyuck looked over at him and winced.

“Appa~ Please don’t get mad” he begged. Johnny narrowed his eyes.

“Depends on what you tell me” he replied. Donghyuck whimpered before he took a deep breath and looked at Mark and Yuta.

“Remember that week that I went missing after we had that argument about the priestess and whether or not she had a secret agenda?” he asked. Mark glared at him.

“Yeah; you had me fucking scared” he snapped. Donghyuck winced again.

“Sorry” he apologized as Yuta looked at him.

“Okay, what about the week?” he asked. Donghyuck huffed.

“So…when I went to go confront her, I stayed in the shadows and just watched. She seemed pretty normal until she stopped and faced me, which made me think that she had to be a witch or at least not human because no human should have been able to sense me. She then called out and said she knew I was there and that there was no point in hiding. When I stepped out of the shadows to stand before her, she turned towards me and smiled before she walked towards me and began circling me like some weird creature eyeing their prey” he explained. Johnny growled.

“You went to CONFRONT her?!” he snarled. Donghyuck flinched and looked over at him.

“Yes?” he replied. Johnny let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as Kun motioned for Donghyuck to go on. 

“She then started to ask really weird questions…mainly about you” he stated, pointing at Mark. Mark’s eyes widened.

“Me? Why me?” he asked. Donghyuck sighed.

“Well, apparently she’s seen us together a lot. I don’t know how, but that’s what she said. So she started asking about you, asking how close I was to you, you know, weird and oddly person questions?” he continued. Kun nodded.

“Go on” he instructed. Donghyuck then huffed.

“She then said that she would spare my life if I would be willing to killing the king and the prince” he declared. Johnny, Mark, Yuta, Sicheng, and Kun looked at him in shock as he shrugged.

“I told her “no” and you know the rest” he stated. Johnny growled.

“So you almost got yourself killed for a human?!” he snarled. Donghyuck looked over at him and huffed.

“Mark’s my friend. I’d rather die than let her have him” he declared. Johnny’s eyes widened as Mark looked at him.

“Wait, if she gave that offer to you…did she give that offer to all the others?” he asked. Donghyuck shrugged.

“I don’t know. All I know is that when I told her no, she flew into a fit and attacked me. That’s where all the bruises came from” he explained. Sicheng frowned.

“Why didn’t you stop her?” he asked. Donghyuck huffed.

“She surprised me! It’s a little hard to stop someone if they sneak attack you” he grumbled. Johnny shook his head.

“I can’t believe you risked your life for a human…” he murmured. Donghyuck looked over at him.

“If it was anyone else, I probably would have agreed to it. But I wasn’t going to kill Mark, or his father. Except if I had known a little bit more about his father, I probably would have agreed to kill him” he stated before looking at Mark.

“No offense” he added. Mark shook his head.

“If I knew then what I know now…I’d probably want him dead too” he murmured. Johnny, Yuta, Sicheng, and Kun looked at him, sadness on their faces, before Kun looked at Donghyuck. 

“So this priestess…where is she, exactly?” he asked. 

“In a large church not too far from the castle” Donghyuck answered. Yuta frowned.

“I thought that church was abandoned…” he murmured. Donghyuck huffed.

“Nope. It’s occupied by a Grade A Bitch” he spat. Everyone was silent before Yuta sighed.

“Alright, what’s the plan?” he asked. Mark looked over at him in confusion.

“Plan?” he replied. Yuta nodded.

“Yes, the plan to get revenge on the witch that killed your parents” he stated. Mark’s eyes widened.

“I wasn’t planning on getting revenge on her!” he exclaimed. 

“Mark” Sicheng started, making the prince look up at him. He then sighed.

“If you don’t stop this evil at its source, it’s only going to get worse and if Donghyuck said is true, then she is going to keep offering people, witches or not, the chance to save their life in exchange for you. And at some point, somebody is going to take her up on her offer and then you’ll be dead” he deadpanned. Mark was quiet before he looked up at the others, who were all looking at him.

“Alright. Let’s go on a witch hunt” he declared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	6. Secrets Revealed

After figuring out how they were going to go about defeating the priestess, Mark, Kun, Johnny, Donghyuck, Yuta, and Sicheng headed out of Kun and Sicheng’s cabin, heading back to the kingdom.

“I can teleport us there” Johnny offered. Mark raised an eyebrow.

“To where?” he asked. 

“To the church. That way we bypass all the townsfolk and we won’t get questioned or stopped” Johnny explained. Mark nodded slowly.

“That…that does make sense” he agreed. Johnny smiled before he held out his hands.

“Hold hands, boys” he declared. Kun, Yuta, Sicheng, Mark, and Donghyuck walked over to him, Donghyuck and Kun taking Johnny’s hand while Mark took Donghyuck’s hand, Sicheng took Kun’s hand, and Yuta took Sicheng’s hand. Once everyone was holding hands, Johnny shut his eyes; soon teleporting them to outside of the church. As they stood before the church, Mark shuddered.

“Anyone else getting an ominous vibe?” he asked. Kun nodded.

“A little bit” he replied. Mark then took a deep breath before he walked towards the church, pushing open the door before stepping inside. The others soon followed him, the six of them looking around the empty church in confusion.

“Oh, now I’m definitely getting ominous vibes” Donghyuck murmured. Sicheng frowned.

“Does the air feel…charged to you?” he asked. Mark frowned and looked over at him.

“What, like magically?” he asked. Johnny nodded.

“Yes. And to answer your question, Sicheng, yes, it does” he replied. 

“So…you finally decided to come” a voice purred from the shadows, making the six men look over to see a pretty young woman slip out of the shadows, carrying a staff in her hand. Mark frowned.

“Are you…are you the one who attacked my parents and killed my mom?” he asked, his voice shaking. The priestess smiled.

“I am” she replied. Mark shook his head.

“Why?! Why did you kill my mom?” he screamed. The priestess snarled.

“Because she betrayed me…our family” she snarled. Mark frowned.

“What?” he whispered. The priestess smiled darkly.

“Do you not know what you are, dear nephew? You’re a witch” she declared. Mark’s eyes widened and he took a step back in surprise, the other’s mouths falling open in surprise as well. 

“I’m a what?” he breathed. The priestess laughed.

“You’re a witch. Well, half-blood, I suppose. All because your mother decided to marry your bastard of a father without telling us” she explained. 

“So what? You killed his mother for what? Revenge? Wouldn’t you be happier to know that she brought another witch into the world?” Yuta demanded. The priestess scoffed.

“I would have been happier if my sister had married a witch instead of a human. Now she’s tainted the bloodline by giving birth to this half-blood” she spat, pointing at Mark.

“Don’t talk about him like that! He’s your family” Donghyuck exclaimed. The priestess shook her head.

“I don’t want him! All I want is for him to be DEAD!!” she screamed before she shot a blast of lighting towards Mark. Mark’s eyes widened and he threw up his hands, just as a shield of magic went up around him, causing the lightning to deflect off of it. Mark slowly lowered his arms and looked around to see Kun and Sicheng with their palms on the floor, forming a shield around him. 

“What are you doing?!” he exclaimed. Sicheng glanced up at him.

“Helping you, what does it fucking look like?” he groaned as the priestess continued to shoot bolts of lightning at the shield. Mark shook his head.

“But isn’t it hurting you?” he asked.

“Mark, you’re distracting them” Yuta scolded. Mark looked over at him, just as the priestess walked over to the shield and placed her hands on it.

“Oh shit” Kun groaned as the priestess let out a loud scream and sent a wave of magic into the shield, causing Kun and Sicheng to let out screams of pain before they collapsed from an overload of magic being sent into their bodies. Mark, Yuta, Johnny, and Donghyuck turned and looked at the priestess as she smiled darkly.

“You can’t escape your fate, your highness” she purred. Donghyuck growled as he clenched his hands into fists.

“But we can damn well delay it” he snarled before he rushed at the priestess and did a flying leap before punching her in the face. With the use of his magic, the punch was strong enough to send her flying through the church, causing her to crash into the wall behind the podium before collapsing to the ground.

“Nice punch, kid” Yuta praised. Donghyuck turned and looked at him, a smile on his face, just as the priestess pushed herself off the ground and pointed her staff at them, a giant fireball forming on the end of it. She then fired it at Donghyuck, who had his back to her, a dark smile on her face. Johnny, who saw the fireball coming, quickly ran over to them and tackled them to the ground as the fireball flew past them and exploded against the back of the church. Yuta, Mark, and Donghyuck let out groans before they looked at Johnny, who was looking over them.

“You guys okay?” he breathed. Yuta, Mark, and Donghyuck nodded.

“Yeah. Thanks” Mark replied. Johnny smiled and nodded, just as the priestess threw out a hand and shadow like tendrils suddenly wrapped around him, lifting him off Mark, Yuta, and Donghyuck.

“APPA!” Donghyuck screamed as Johnny struggled and thrashed around in the tendrils, but the priestess just closed her hand into a fist, causing the tendrils to tighten around Johnny before she began to move her arm back and forth as well as up and down, using the tendrils to slam Johnny into the four walls of the church.

“Stop it!” Donghyuck begged as the tendrils continued to slam Johnny around before suddenly disappearing, causing Johnny to drop to the floor like a limp rag doll. 

“Appa!” Donghyuck sobbed, pushing himself off the floor and running over to Johnny, kneeling beside him.

“Appa. Appa~ Wake up. Please, wake up” he begged as he shook Johnny’s shoulders. However, Johnny didn’t stir, causing Donghyuck to let out a sob before he turned and glared at the witch.

“You. I’m going to **KILL YOU**!” he screamed, eyes glowing lilac as he pushed himself off the ground and rushed towards the witch, purple fire encasing his hands.

“Donghyuck, no!” Yuta and Mark screamed, but Donghyuck ignored them as he continued to run towards the priestess, who just smirked and raised her staff like a baseball bat. Yuta and Mark’s eyes widened before Yuta pushed himself to his feet.

“くそ” he hissed before he ran towards Donghyuck, shoving him out of the way as the priestess swung, the staff connecting with his ribs like a bat connecting with a ball with an added sickening crunch. The swing was so strong that it sent Yuta flying to the back of the church, causing him to crashing into the wall before falling to the ground.

“NO!!” Mark screamed, eyes wide with horror as he watched Yuta struggle to push himself up before collapsing back onto the ground, still.

“Yuta hyung!” Mark screamed, pushing himself to his feet and running over to the man.

“Hyung, hyung, oh god, oh god” he whispered as he knelt beside the man, hands shaky as he reached out to touch him.

“Yuta hyung?” he whimpered. Yuta, however, didn’t answer and laid on the ground as still as a stone, making Mark let out a sob. While he was grieving over Yuta, the priestess grinned darkly and pointed her staff at him.

“Goodbye, you disgusting half-blood” she hissed as she shot a bolt of lighting at him. Donghyuck, who was still on the floor from where Yuta had pushed him out of the way, saw the bolt of lightning heading towards Mark, causing his eyes to widen.

“Forgive me Mark” he whispered before he shut his eyes and teleported himself in front of Mark, making Mark look up at him horror.

“Haechan, what are you—” he started when the bolt of lightning hit Donghyuck square in the chest. Donghyuck let out a pained scream before he collapsed before Mark, twitching as the electricity coursed through his body before he grew still and his hand fell limp beside him, the lighting shooting out of his fingertips and hitting the side of the church. Mark looked at the destroyed side of the church before he looked back at Donghyuck with horrified eyes, slowly reaching out to touch him.

“Haechan?” he whispered, placing a finger under his nose to see if he was breathing but he didn’t feel a breath.

“Haechan?” he continued, reaching out and placing a hand on his chest. He didn’t feel a heartbeat either, causing him to let out a soft whimper.

“No one to save you now, half-blood” the priestess sneered. Mark looked up at her before he looked down at Donghyuck, then back at Yuta, then over at Johnny, and finally at Kun and Sicheng. As he looked at his friends, he felt tears come to his eyes and let out a sob, shoulders shaking as his body wracked with sobs.

“Oh get over yourself, child. You brought this on yourself” the priestess sneered. Mark looked up at her and glared.

“Shut up! Just shut up!” he screamed, shooting to his feet. The priestess looked at him before she smirked.

“You want something to cry about? Then I’ll give you something to cry about” she declared before she slammed her hands into the earth, causing tree roots to come shooting out of the ground and wrap around everyone, making Mark look up at the tree roots in horror as the priestess smiled darkly and sent a blast of magic into the roots, causing them to tighten around Johnny, Yuta, Kun, Sicheng, and Donghyuck before shocking them with red lightning. Kun, Sicheng, and Johnny, who were only knocked unconscious, all let out screams of pain.

“NO!!” Mark screamed. The priestess cackled loudly as she sent another pulse of magic into the ground, causing the tree roots to tighten around everyone, making Kun, Sicheng, and Johnny cry out louder in pain before the red lightning shocked them, making them scream in agony. Mark shook his head.

“Stop it. Stop it, please” he begged, tears streaming down his face. However, the priestess didn’t hear him and continued to tighten the tree roots around them before shocking them with the red lightning. 

“Stop it!” Mark screamed. As the screams of his friends echoed throughout the church and in his head, Mark covered his ears and sank to his knees, shaking his head.

“Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it…” he murmured, shaking his head back and forth before his head snapped up, eyes glowing yellow.

“I said **STOP!** ” he roared as lightning suddenly crackled around him. The priestess looked at him in surprise as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, glaring at her.

**“You’re going to regret hurting my friends”** he snarled before he rushed at her and tackled her, releasing the spell on the earth. The roots then fell away, causing Kun, Yuta, Sicheng, Johnny, and Donghyuck to fall to the ground, unconscious. The priestess’s eyes widened as she used her staff as a shield against Mark, who used his newfound power from the magic within him to push the staff towards her neck, trying to strangle her. The priestess’s eyes widened as she struggled against Mark’s strength before her eyes flashed and she pushed back, using her own strength to throw Mark off of her, causing him to go flying through the church and crashing onto the ground. Both of them then stood up, their eyes glowing as they panted harshly.

“Well nephew…it seems you unlocked the magic within you” the priestess mused. Mark shook his head.

“Don’t fucking call me that. You killed my mother. You hurt my friends” he snarled. The priestess smiled darkly.

“Yes, I did all those things. And now…now I’m going to kill you” she purred. Mark shook his head again.

“Not if I kill you first” he growled, lighting crackling around his hands. The priestess laughed.

“Only one of us will get out of this alive, dear nephew” she purred. Mark snarled.

**“And it ain’t gonna be you”** he spat before he rushed at her, clenching his hand into a fist as lightning surrounded it. He then leapt into the air before he pushed the priestess in the face, sending her flying into the pulpit of the church, shattering it on impact as she flew through it and crashed into the floor. She let out a groan as Mark slowly stalked towards her, eyes still glowing brightly as lightning surrounded him. When he stood before her, the priestess smiled weakly before spitting out a glob of blood and looking up at him.

“Heh…well done nephew” she praised. Mark snarled.

**“I’m not your nephew. You are NOT my family. And you never will be”** he spat before he reached out and placed a hand on her chest.

**“For my mother. For my friends. For all the innocent people you killed”** he growled before he sent a powerful and deadly blast of magic into her. The priestess let out an agonized scream of pain but Mark continued to send magic into her until there was a bright light and a loud explosion. Mark quickly covered his face as blood exploded everywhere, staining everything from his clothes and face, to the walls and ceiling, and as well the floor. After lowering his arm, Mark looked down at the place where the priestess used to be and let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s over…it’s finally over” he whispered before his eyes widened and he turned towards where Johnny, Donghyuck, Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng were lying on the floor.

“Guys!” he exclaimed, running over to them. He then first knelt down beside Donghyuck, looking him over.

“Shit…I have no idea what I’m doing…ah, what am I doing?!” he whispered, panic in his voice before he looked upwards.

“A little help would be nice!” he screamed before he took a deep breath and hovered his hands over Donghyuck’s chest.

“This…is what Kun did…right?” he murmured. He stayed there for a moment before he let out a whine.

“It’s not working…” he whimpered, just as a soft light began to glow under his palms, making his eyes widen.

“Oh! Oh, it’s working” he breathed as he kept his hands hovering over Donghyuck’s chest.

“Come on Haechan…wake up” he begged as he continued to send his magic into Donghyuck’s body, hoping that it was healing him. He stayed there for at least a minute or two before Donghyuck let out a groan and slowly opened his eyes.

“Wha—” he murmured as Mark let out a gasp.

“Haechan” he breathed. Donghyuck slowly turned his head to see Mark looking at him with tears in his eyes, causing him to frown.

“Mark? What—” he started when Mark shook his head.

“I’ll explain later. Can you sit up?” he asked. Donghyuck nodded and slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, Mark helping him. Once he was sitting up, Donghyuck looked over at Mark.

“So…” he started when Mark waved his hand.

“Later. Help me heal the others” he instructed. Donghyuck’s eyes widened and he quickly looked over at Johnny, Kun, Sicheng, and Yuta, letting out a cry.

“Appa!” he exclaimed, crawling over to Johnny.

“You heal Johnny, I’ll heal Yuta” Mark declared. Donghyuck nodded, not even registering Mark’s words as he placed his hands over Johnny’s body.

“Appa~ Come on” he murmured, shutting his eyes so that he could concentrate on healing Johnny. While he was healing Johnny, Mark crawled over to Yuta and took a deep breath.

“Okay, let’s see if this works a second time” he murmured, holding out his hands over Yuta’s body. 

“Please work…please work” he whispered as his magic flowed from his hands into Yuta’s body.

“Come on, hyung. Please” he pleaded. Yuta was still as the magic flowed through his body, healing his broken ribs and other injuries, causing him to gasp and cough before he let out a groan.

“ちくしょう” he moaned as he clutched at his chest.

“Hyung!” Mark exclaimed, looking down at him with wide eyes. Yuta looked up at him with wide eyes and quickly pushed himself to a sitting position.

“Mark?” he breathed. Mark grinned before he pointed to Kun and Sicheng.

“Help me” he asked. Yuta looked over at Kun and Sicheng, his eyes widened.

“Winko!” he exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet and running over to them. Mark made to stand when Donghyuck looked up at him.

“Mark, help me” he begged, tears in his eyes. Mark looked over at him and nodded, quickly walking over to Johnny, kneeling beside his body.

“Come on, hyung, get up” he whispered as he and Donghyuck sent their magic into his body.

“Appa~ Appa, please~” Donghyuck begged, tears beginning to stream down his face. Johnny didn’t stir, causing Donghyuck to let out a whimper.

“Appa~” he whined as more tears began to fall. When Johnny didn’t respond, Donghyuck lowered his head and let out a sob, making Mark look over at him before he reached out and gently rubbed his back in a soothing manner.

“Aigoo~ My baby has such an ugly crying face” a weak voice cooed. Donghyuck and Mark’s eyes widened before they looked at Johnny to see him smiling weakly at them.

“Appa?” Donghyuck whispered. Johnny smiled again and weakly lifted his hand, gently stroking Donghyuck’s face.

“I’m here, baby” he whispered. Donghyuck let out a relieved laugh and threw himself at Johnny, hugging him tightly. Johnny let out an “oof” as Donghyuck practically landed on him, giving him a giant hug. Mark let out a surprised laugh before he looked over at Yuta, who was helping Kun and Sicheng up from the floor.

“Are you guys okay?” he asked. Kun and Sicheng looked over at him before they nodded.

“Yeah…a little sore, but we’re fine” Kun replied as Johnny gently pushed Donghyuck off of him before sitting up himself.

“Are you okay, kid?” he asked, looking at Mark. Mark nodded and smiled slightly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine” he replied. 

“Where’s that bitch? I’d like to give her a piece of my fucking mind” Yuta growled. Mark laughed nervously.

“Yeah…about that…” he murmured, making Johnny, Kun, Donghyuck, Sicheng, and Yuta look at him in confusion before Kun narrowed his eyes and looked at Mark.

“Mark…are you…are you covered in blood?” he whispered. Donghyuck, Johnny, Sicheng, and Yuta’s eyes widened and they turned to look Mark up and down, realizing that Kun was right; Mark was covered in blood spatter.

“Mark! What the hell?! Are you hurt?!” Donghyuck exclaimed, looking the prince over. Mark laughed and waved his hands.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s not my blood anyways” he replied. Sicheng looked at him incredulously.

“The hell you mean _“it’s not my blood anyways”_? Who’s fucking blood is it?!” he exclaimed. Mark pushed himself to his feet and motioned for the others to follow him as he headed to the front of the church. Johnny, Donghyuck, Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng looked at each other before they pushed themselves to their feet and followed after Mark, standing around him as they looked at the large bloody explosion where the priestess’s body was.

“What…the actual fuck” Johnny murmured as Yuta looked at Mark.

“What happened here?” he demanded. Mark looked over at him before he smiled almost excitedly.

“I exploded her” he replied. Kun blinked.

“Come again?” he asked. Mark held up his hand, lightning crackling around it as his eyes glowed yellow.

“I exploded her” he repeated. Donghyuck, Johnny, Yuta, Sicheng, and Kun looked at his hand with wide eyes before they looked at him.

“Mark, you’re really—” Yuta started when Mark nodded.

“She wasn’t kidding when she called me, well, a witch” he replied. 

“So you’re tell me that you did this?” Johnny asked, motioning to the large, bloodied explosion on the floor.

“Yeah” Mark replied. Johnny placed a hand on his hip before he ran his other hand through his hair and let out a low whistle.

“Jesus…” he whispered as Donghyuck looked at Mark.

“So you’re one of us now?” he asked, eyes wide with delight. Mark laughed.

“I guess so” he replied. Donghyuck grinned as Kun crossed his arms.

“Not to ruin the moment, but what are you going to tell the kingdom? You’re the rightful heir to the throne” he reminded. Mark’s eyes widened.

“Oh shit, I forgot!” he exclaimed, smacking himself in the forehead. Yuta huffed.

“I’m sure one of the council members is running things just fine” he mused. Mark huffed as he looked over at him.

“Yeah, but hyung, I’m the prince. I need to step up and tell the kingdom what happened and what’s going to happen in the future” he explained. Sicheng nodded.

“That would be wise” he agreed. Yuta groaned.

“Fine, fine. Come on” he grumbled before he turned and headed out of the church, the others following after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!
> 
> (Also, I love that you guys are leaving comments, but if you're enjoying the story, please leave kudos too!)
> 
> くそ - Fuck  
> ちくしょう - Son of a bitch


	7. Telling the Kingdom

“We should probably get changed…” Johnny started as they headed out of the church when Mark shook his head.

“No. No, I don’t want to do that” he replied. Yuta looked at him in shock.

“You want to go before the people covered in blood?!” he exclaimed. Mark nodded.

“Yeah” he replied. Yuta shook his head and shrugged.

“Aight, you the prince” he murmured. Mark nodded again before he walked over to the palace, heading inside as the others followed behind him. While they were heading up to the tower where the King used to watch the executions and give speeches, they ran into the town crier, who looked at them in surprise.

“Your Highness!” he exclaimed. Mark smiled.

“Hi. Could you, um, tell everyone that I have an announcement to make?” he asked. The town crier nodded.

“Yes, of course” he replied before he rushed out of the palace to go proclaim in the crowd that Mark had an announcement to make. 

“Oh, I’m nervous” Mark murmured before he headed up the stairs to the tower, the others following behind him.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine” Kun soothed as they continued up the tower.

“Yeah, but this is the first time I’m doing this by myself. Normally it’s my dad doing the talking and I just stand there like an idiot. Yuta can attest to this” Mark replied. Yuta huffed.

“Yeah, I can” he replied. 

“You think they’re going to listen to you?” Donghyuck asked, looking at Mark. Mark sighed.

“I fucking hope so, I mean, I don’t see why they won’t…” he murmured. 

“Like Kun said, you’ll do fine” Johnny assured. Mark glanced over at him and smiled as they reached the tower, Mark heading over to the balcony while the others stood behind him. As soon as the villagers, who were all gathered under the balcony, saw him, they let out gasps and cries of relief and some even began whispering to each other.

“Um…so—” Mark started, silencing the crowd below. Mark looked down at them before he looked back at Johnny, Yuta, Kun, Sicheng, and Donghyuck, the five of them nodding in encouragement. He smiled slightly before he looked back at the villagers and cleared his throat.

“So, I would like to say a few things. First of all, the witch hunts that have been going on in our kingdom will be no more!” he declared. The villagers looked at him in surprise and began whispering to each other as Mark looked out over them.

“Those who are in hiding or are too afraid to be your real self, you have nothing to fear anymore. You are safe in this kingdom” he assured. 

“Aren’t witches dangerous?” one villager called out. Mark shook his head.

“No” he replied. Behind him, Donghyuck hummed.

“I mean…” he murmured when Johnny just looked down at him and gave him a look, immediately silencing him. Mark glanced back at him before he looked at the villagers.

“Yes witches can be dangerous, but only when their lives are threatened and they feel the need to protect themselves. If we allow them to feel safe within our kingdom, then they won’t feel threatened and they won’t attack” he explained. The villagers were quiet, soaking in Mark’s words before they nodded; what he said seemed to make sense. Behind him, Kun chuckled softly.

“Off to a good start” he mused, the others humming in agreement.

“What happened to your father?” a villager asked, making Mark freeze and glance back at the others.

_“_ _What do I say?”_ he mouthed. 

_“_ _The truth”_ Johnny mouthed back. Mark’s mouth opened in shock, making Yuta groan before he walked forward and stood beside him.

“The King and his men died in battle” he replied.

“What battle?!” another villager exclaimed. Kun then stepped forward to stand on the other side of Mark.

“He was in a battle against witches” he explained calmly. That sparked outrage within the villagers, causing them to scream and shout and demand justice for their slain king.

“HE DESERVED TO DIE!” Donghyuck screamed, stepping forward. The villagers fell silent and looked up at him as he glared down at them.

“He allowed the death of so many innocent people, he shot and almost killed his own son, and you want _justice_ for him?!” he snarled. Mark looked over at him and frowned.

“Haechan…” he whispered.

“You know nothing about our King” another villager spat. 

“No, you know nothing about the King” Yuta snarled. A villager pointed to him.

“You’re the Captain of the Guard and his right hand man! How dare you slander him!” they shouted. 

“He’s a murderer. I’ll speak about him however I want” Yuta snarled. That was the last straw for the villagers because they soon just burst out in shouts and cries, some of them even throwing rocks. Yuta quickly grabbed Donghyuck and Kun grabbed Mark, both men dragging them back from the balcony. 

“Jesus, the minute you say one bad thing about the King, they flip” Sicheng grumbled. 

“Well, they did ask what happened to him” Johnny mused. Mark was quiet before he reached out and gently removed Kun’s hand from his arm, slowly walking forward.

“Mark, what are you doing?” Kun hissed. Mark said nothing and continued to walk slowly towards the balcony, where the villagers were still shouting and throwing rocks. As he peeked over the edge, one of the villager’s rocks caught him in the head, causing him to fall and clutch at the place where the rock hit him.

“Mark!” Donghyuck exclaimed, about to rush over to him when he felt the ground shake under his feet.

“Wha—” he started before he looked over to see lightning beginning to crackle around Mark as he clutched at his head. 

“This should be fun” Johnny whispered with a small smile as he and the others continued to watch as Mark continued to clutch at his bleeding forehead, lightning still crackling around him before he shot to his feet, eyes glowing bright yellow.

**“** **ENOUGH!”** he roared, glaring down at the villagers, who looked up at him in shock.

**“** **You keep trying to defend my father when he was a BAD MAN who agreed to the deaths of many innocent people, whether they were witch or not! YOU ENABLED HIM! And you didn’t just enable him, you enabled the priestess, who, by the way, is the reason these witch hunts STARTED! DO YOU KNOW WHY?!”** he screamed. The villagers looked up at him with wide eyes as he snarled.

**“** **BECAUSE SHE KILLED MY MOTHER! SHE KILLED MY MOTHER AND CAUSED MY FATHER TO COMMIT ALL THESE DEATHS! THEY ARE BOTH TO BLAME!”** he screamed. The villagers were stunned into silence before one child stepped forward.

“Your Highness…are you…are you a witch?” she asked. Mark looked down at her, his eyes flashing.

“Yes, I am” he replied, his voice more calm. He then glanced back at Yuta, Johnny, Donghyuck, Sicheng, and Kun before motioning them forward. The five men then stepped forward and stood beside Mark, all of them looking down at the villagers.

“We _all_ are” he continued. 

“But how are you—” another villager started.

**“** **BECAUSE MY MOTHER WAS A WITCH!”** Mark screamed, lightning erupting around him again. Johnny quickly reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, making Mark look up at him.

“Relax, relax” he soothed before he looked down at the villagers.

“Any other questions?” he hissed, eyes flashing red.

“How do we know he’s not gonna hurt us? Since you know he’s a witch and all?” a village sneered. Mark shook his head.

“I wouldn’t do that…I wouldn’t hurt anyone…” he answered, just as his vision began to swim and his ears started ringing.

“Mark is not his father. He wouldn’t put anyone’s lives at risk if he didn’t have to” Yuta added. While the others were adding as to why Mark wouldn’t hurt the villagers, Mark’s vision kept swimming and his ears kept ringing. At one point, a cold chill went over his body before his knees buckled slightly, causing him to reach out and grab Johnny by the arm. Johnny looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Mark? What’s up?” he asked. Mark looked back at him, his face as white as a sheet.

“Hyung…I don’t feel so good” he croaked before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.

“MARK!” Donghyuck screamed, kneeling down beside him. Johnny, Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng also knelt around him before Yuta looked at Kun.

“I want you, Johnny, and Sicheng to take him to his room” he ordered. Kun and Sicheng nodded as Johnny carefully picked up Mark and carried him out of the tower, Sicheng and Kun following after him. Once they were out of the tower, Donghyuck slowly stood up and looked over the crowd, his eyes glowing lilac.

**“** **If I find the person who threw the rock that hit the prince, I will** ** _personally_** **hunt you down and burn you at the stake MYSELF!”** he screamed before he turned and headed out of the tower to head to Mark’s room. Yuta watched him leave before he let out a soft chuckle and looked down at the villagers.

“Ah, I should have mentioned…it’s not His Highness who you should be afraid of. It’s **us** ” he purred, eyes flashing silver before he turned and walked away from the tower balcony, leaving the villagers stunned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	8. Confessions

A few hours later, Mark’s eyes slowly fluttered open and he let out a groan as he reached up to clutch at his head.

“Fuck” he hissed as he slowly sat up, only to have a gently hand on his shoulder push him back down.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a voice asked, making Mark blink and look around to see Sicheng, Kun, Yuta, Johnny, and Donghyuck standing around his bed. Yuta had his hand on Mark’s shoulder and was pushing him back down into the bed.

“Hyung…” he murmured.

“Gave us a fucking scare, kid” Johnny scolded, giving him a look. Mark winced.

“Sorry” he apologized. Kun smiled softly.

“It wasn’t really your fault…” he assured, Donghyuck nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, they shouldn’t have thrown that rock at you” he agreed. Mark was quiet before he looked at Donghyuck.

“You didn’t do anything, did you?” he asked. Donghyuck shook his head.

“No…but I wanted to” he grumbled. 

“He just you know…threatened to burn whoever hit you in the head with the rock at the stake if he ever found them” Yuta explained. Mark’s eyes widened as he looked at Donghyuck.

“Why would you do that?! Now they’re never going to trust us, especially if we react like that!” he exclaimed. Donghyuck’s eyes widened.

“But you were hurt! You collapsed!” he shouted. Mark opened his mouth to argue when Johnny held out his hands.

“Boys, boys. That’s enough” he ordered, his voice stern and parent-like. Mark and Donghyuck immediately fell silent before Mark slowly pushed himself into a sitting position again, only to have Sicheng place his hand on his shoulder and push him back into the bed.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?! You’re not getting out of this bed until you’ve completely healed, do you understand?” Sicheng snapped. Mark looked up at him with wide eyes before he nodded and collapsed his head back onto his pillow.

“I mean, technically he’s okay to leave the bed, but I do have to agree Mark, it would be better for you to rest. You did exert quite a large amount of energy and magic today and for someone who’s a half-blooded witch, I’m surprised you weren’t knocked on your ass sooner” Kun mused. Mark groaned before he looked over at him.

“How long do I have to stay in bed?” he asked.

“Until one of us says you’re clear to leave” Johnny answered, crossing his arms. Mark looked at him before he sighed and turned on his side, bundling himself under his blankets.

“Yes dad” he murmured as he let out a yawn, eyes slipping shut as he slowly drifted off to sleep. Kun, Yuta, Johnny, Sicheng, and Donghyuck were stunned by Mark’s murmur before Donghyuck bristled.

“Bastard. Get your own dad” he hissed. Yuta chuckled before he looked over at Johnny.

“I’ll take custody if you don’t want it” he stated. Johnny laughed before he shrugged.

“You’ve been looking after him longer; you deserve custody” he replied. Sicheng frowned.

“Does that make me his step-dad?” he asked. Yuta smiled.

“Do you want to be his step-dad, Winko?” he replied. Sicheng hummed.

“Let me sleep on it; I’ll let you know in the morning” he replied. Yuta nodded before he turned and looked at them.

“I’ll watch over Mark; you guys get some sleep. There are some bedrooms a few doors down from here” he stated. Johnny, Donghyuck, Kun, and Sicheng nodded; Kun, Sicheng, and Johnny leaving first while Donghyuck hung back, looking at Mark’s sleeping face.

“I didn’t mean to snap at him…I was just so scared…” he whispered. Yuta looked over at him before he smiled softly and walked over to him, wrapping an arm around him.

“I think he knows that. And we all know that. Besides, if you were in his situation, you know he would react the same way you did” he assured. Donghyuck looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“You think so?” he asked. Yuta looked down at him and smiled.

“You remember how he reacted when you were on that stake? I’m sure if he had his magic then, he would do everything in his power to get you off that stake” he assured. Donghyuck hummed as he looked over at Mark before he looked back up at Yuta.

“Hyung, I have to tell you something” he whispered. Yuta raised an eyebrow at him.

“Why are we whispering all of a sudden?” he asked, also dropping his voice to a whisper. Donghyuck looked over at Mark again before he reached out and grabbed Yuta by the wrist, dragging him out of the room.

“Woah, woah, where are we going?!” Yuta exclaimed softly so that he didn’t wake Mark up, since he definitely needed the rest. Once they were outside of the room, Donghyuck looked up at Yuta.

“I think I like Mark” he declared. Yuta blinked.

“He likes you too” he replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Donghyuck shook his head.

“No, I like him the way you like Sicheng” he explained, trying to get Yuta to understand. Yuta stared at him before his eyes widened.

“Oh I see” he murmured. Donghyuck blushed before he nodded shyly.

“Yeah” he whispered. Yuta smiled.

“I’m glad. Someone needs to love and care for him after everything that he’s been through” he declared. Donghyuck frowned and looked up at him.

“But don’t you love him too?” he asked. Yuta laughed softly.

“Of course I do. But my love is more platonic, parental love. Which is no less important than the romantic love that you feel for him. It’s just…different. That’s all” he replied. Donghyuck nodded before Yuta smiled and reached out, gently ruffling his hair.

“Go get some rest, kid. It’s been a long day” he instructed. Donghyuck nodded and turned, heading off towards one of the many bedrooms that was in the castle. As he walked away, Yuta let out a sigh before he turned and headed back into Mark’s bedroom. He then walked over to Mark’s bed and sat down on the edge of it, looking at the prince with soft eyes before reaching out and gently running his fingers through his hair.

“I hope you know how loved you are, kid” he murmured.

~*~*~*~*~

A few days later, after Kun gave him the okay to get out of bed and leave the castle, Mark headed out into the town, just to get some fresh air and maybe say hi to some of the townspeople because he didn’t want them to be afraid of him, especially since he was going to be their king. As he walked around the town, no one seemed to really notice him or pay too much attention to him, so that was kind of nice. At least they weren’t afraid of him. While he continued to walk through the town, the children in the town were running around and laughing, and some of them even ran over to him, stopping before him.

“Your Highness, do you want to play with us?” one little boy asked. Mark smiled and knelt down so that he eye level with the children.

“What are we playing?” he asked.

“Hide-and-seek” a little girl replied. Mark hummed.

“Hide-and-seek, huh? I don’t think I’ve ever played that before” he mused.

“Good lord, have you been living under a rock or something?” a voice called out, making him look over his shoulder to see Donghyuck walking towards him.

“Look, I didn’t get to do much when I was a kid, okay?” he replied, giving Donghyuck a look. Donghyuck chuckled as the children looked at him.

“Who’s this?” one little boy asked. Donghyuck and Mark looked at him before Donghyuck smiled.

“I’m Mark’s friend, Donghyuck” he replied. The children studied him before they smiled brightly at him.

“Do you want to play with us?” they asked. Donghyuck placed his hands on his hips.

“What are we playing?” he replied. 

“Hide-and-seek” Mark answered. Donghyuck shrugged.

“Sure, I enjoy a good game of hide and seek” he stated. The children let out screams of delight and clapped their hands as Donghyuck crossed his arms.

“Why don’t you all go hide, and His Highness and I will find you?” he suggested. The children nodded before they rushed off, allowing Mark to stand to his feet before he looked over at Donghyuck.

“I’ve never played before…what do we have to do?” he asked. Donghyuck looked over at him and huffed.

“Have you done anything fun in your life ever?” he replied. Mark huffed.

“Look, I was raised a prince with a hella strict parent who always had someone follow me around. I didn’t get to do a lot of “fun” things” he answered. Donghyuck hummed before he shrugged.

“It’s like the name says. The kids hide, and we find them. It’s been a good few seconds so we should probably go look for them” he declared as he began walking. Mark’s eyes widened and he rushed after Donghyuck, arriving at his side.

“So, you’re telling me they could be anywhere in this town?” he asked. Donghyuck nodded.

“Yup. So start looking, buddy” he replied, giving Mark a playful slap on the back before he walked off. Mark pouted before he began looking around the town, peeking behind carts and stalls, hoping to find at least _one_ of the children. After having no luck by the stalls and carts, he walked over to where hay bales were stacked and as he got closer, he heard little giggles come from behind one of the bales, making him smile softly. He softly crept towards the bales before peeking his head over to find two children hiding behind it.

“Found you” he cooed, making the two children look up before letting out squeals of delight. They then stood up and hopped up onto the bales, holding out their hands. Mark smiled and took their hands, helping them down from the bales.

“Nice hiding spot, I wouldn’t have found you” he praised. The children smiled as Mark held out his hands.

“You wanna help me find your friends?” he asked. The two children nodded and quickly took Mark’s hand before the three of them began walking through town, trying to find places that little children would like to hide. As they searched, Donghyuck walked over to them, two more children holding his hands.

“Ah, I see you found two” he mused. Mark nodded.

“This game is actually kind of fun” he replied. Donghyuck chuckled as one of the children frowned.

“Where’s Kaya?” one of the girls asked. Donghyuck and Mark frowned down at them before they looked up at each other.

“How many kids were there?” Mark asked. Donghyuck frowned.

“Five, I think” he answered.

“Shit” Mark hissed, careful to keep his voice down so that the kids couldn’t hear him swear.

“Do you remember at all where she went?” Donghyuck asked, looking at the four children. The four children were quiet before one of the boys looked at Donghyuck.

“I think she headed into the forest” he replied. Donghyuck and Mark looked at one another before Mark looked down at the children.

“Alright, I want you to go find your parents. We’ll go out and find Kaya, okay?” he stated. The four children nodded before they rushed off to go find their parents while Mark looked at Donghyuck.

“Welp, back into the forest we go” he declared. Donghyuck sighed.

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” he murmured. Mark looked over at him and shot him a glare before punching him in the arm.

“Don’t fucking jinx it” he hissed. Donghyuck raised his hands in surrender.

“Alright, alright, Jesus, sorry. It’s just that anytime we step into that forest, something bad happens” he explained. Mark glared.

“Well, this time, nothing bad is going to happen” he growled. Donghyuck sighed.

“Alright, if you say so” he replied calmly. Mark rolled his eyes before he grabbed Donghyuck’s hand and dragged him into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	9. MARK'S GETTING MARRIED?!

As Mark and Donghyuck walked through the forest, hand in hand, Donghyuck looked around and hummed.

“Do you see her anywhere?” he asked. Mark shook his head.

“No…I don’t even know what she’s supposed to look like, to be honest” he replied. Donghyuck groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Jesus, you’re useless” he grumbled. Mark pouted.

“Shut up” he mumbled. Donghyuck laughed.

“I’m just teasing” he assured, just as a scream echoed throughout the forest, causing the two witches to look at each other.

“I’m guessing we just follow the scream?” Mark asked. Donghyuck nodded.

“That would be the logical thing to do” he replied. The two men then rushed off, following where they thought the scream was, and soon found a little girl trembling before a wendigo, whose claws were outstretched before it.

“Oh, shit” Donghyuck whispered but before he could even cast a spell, Mark opened his mouth and let out a supersonic wail, causing the little girl and Donghyuck to cover their ears as the wendigo ran back into the woods. Once the wendigo ran away, Mark let out a heavy sigh as Donghyuck looked over at him with wide eyes.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?!” he exclaimed. Mark looked over at him and frowned.

“Tell you what?” he asked. Donghyuck motioned to him.

“That! That fucking supersonic scream” he exclaimed. Mark looked at him before he huffed.

“Oh, because I wanted to let the wendigo eat the girl. OBVIOUSLY I DIDN’T KNOW!” he shouted. Donghyuck glared at him before he huffed and shook his head.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter” he grumbled as he looked over at the little girl.

“Kaya?” he called out. The little girl turned towards them, tears in her eyes, before she ran over to them, throwing her arms around them.

“I’m sorry I ran so far! Please don’t be mad at me!” she cried. Donghyuck and Mark looked at each other before Mark looked down at her and gently patted her head.

“We’re not mad, sweetheart” he soothed before he smiled.

“Shall we go back to your friends?” he asked. Kaya looked up at him and nodded, causing a small smile to grace his face as he held out his hand to her. She immediately took her hand before taking Donghyuck’s, the two witches walking out of the forest with Kaya in between them. When they walked out of the forest, Kaya’s friends were waiting for her, immediately running over to her and hugging her, grateful that she was okay. Mark and Donghyuck let go of Kaya’s hand, both of them watching as the children ran back into town, laughing and playing with each other.

“Told you everything would be fine” Mark teased, glancing over at Donghyuck. Donghyuck scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“And I told you I felt like something bad was going to happen” he reminded. Mark shrugged.

“So we were both right” he mused. Donghyuck huffed and crossed his arms, pouting.

“I guess so” he agreed. Mark smirked and rolled his eyes before he motioned towards the town.

“We should get back” he stated. Donghyuck nodded, both men heading away from the forest and back towards town.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in town, Donghyuck and Mark were walking around, enjoying the sights and sounds when Yuta slowly walked towards them, a look on his face. When Mark saw him, he frowned and reached out, nudging Donghyuck. Donghyuck frowned and looked over at him, raising an eyebrow as Mark motioned with his chin to Yuta. Donghyuck looked over at Yuta as well and when he saw his face, he frowned. Both men then stopped as Yuta stopped before them.

“Hyung. What’s going on?” Mark asked, frowning. Yuta sighed.

“Council wants to see you. Now” he deadpanned. Mark and Donghyuck looked at each other before Mark nodded and followed after Yuta as he turned and headed back to the palace.

“Now can I say that I have a bad feeling about this?” Donghyuck asked, leaning over to whisper into Mark’s ear. Mark huffed and gave him a swat before he sighed.

“Yeah…I have a bad feeling about this as well” he agreed.

~*~*~*~*~

When Mark and Donghyuck returned to the palace, Yuta led them to the throne room, where the Council, a group of Elders, and Kun, Johnny, and Sicheng were waiting for them.

“Um…what the hell is this?” Donghyuck whispered. Mark nodded.

“That’s what I’d like to know too” he agreed as they walked closer to the group of men.

“Your Highness. Perfect timing” one of the elders greeted. Mark dipped his head as he, Donghyuck and Yuta walked over and stood by Johnny, Kun, and Sicheng.

“So, what’s all this about?” Johnny demanded, crossing his arms. The elders looked at him before promptly ignoring him and looking right at Mark.

“Your Highness, now that you have returned—” one elder started.

“He’s literally only been gone for like…two days” Donghyuck grumbled, making Sicheng reach over and pinch his side. He let out a whimper as the elder cleared his throat.

“—and it’s time for you to get married” he finished. 

“MARRIED?!” Yuta, Kun, Sicheng, Johnny, and Donghyuck shouted. 

“But he’s just a kid!” Kun exclaimed, motioning to Mark. The Elders shook their head.

“It doesn’t matter. He needs to get married and have children soon so that the kingdom can continue to flourish” an elder explained. Mark shook his head.

“But what if I don’t want to get married!!” he exclaimed. The Elders shook their heads again.

“You don’t have a choice. We’ve already chosen a bride for you and you are to be wed this weekend in front of the entire kingdom” they explained before they turned and walked out of the throne room, leaving the five witches stunned. After a few moments of stunned silence, Mark shook his head.

“I don’t want to get married!! They can’t make me, right hyung?!” he exclaimed, looking at Yuta with teary eyes. Yuta looked back at him before he sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think we can change their minds, especially if they already have a bride chosen” he explained. 

“Can’t we just call off the wedding?!” Donghyuck exclaimed. Yuta sighed heavily again.

“If she’s a princess from another kingdom, it’ll be a problem if we call off the wedding. It’ll put the kingdom and its citizens in jeopardy” he explained. Donghyuck shook his head.

“So Mark has to get married because of FUCKING POLITICS?!” he screamed, eyes glowing bright lilac. Yuta nodded.

“That’s how it works, unfortunately” he replied calmly. Donghyuck shook his head before he stormed off, causing Mark to reach out for him.

“Haechan!” he called out, but Donghyuck was already gone. Johnny let out a sigh before he looked at Mark and smiled sadly.

“I’ll go talk to him…you just…go get ready, I guess” he murmured before he quickly took off after Donghyuck. Mark watched him leave as well before he looked at Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng.

“I don’t want to get married! I’m only twenty! I’m too young to fucking run a country by myself or to take a wife, or even have fucking kids!!!” he exclaimed. Sicheng nodded.

“We know that. Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do to stop this” he apologized. Yuta nodded.

“Those elders…the moment they have their mind set on something; they’ll see it through” he added. Mark was quiet as tears slowly came to his eyes before he began to cry softly.

“I don’t want to get married” he whimpered. Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng looked at each other before they slowly walked over to him and wrapped their arms around him in a hug; Mark burying his face in Kun’s neck as he sobbed.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Johnny walked away from the throne room and towards the bedrooms, heading towards Donghyuck’s. He then stopped before Donghyuck’s, knocking on the door once before he grabbed the knob and turned it.

“Donghyuck?” he called out softly, poking his head inside. He looked around and soon found Donghyuck face down on his bed, shoulders shaking as he cried into his pillow. Johnny smiled sadly as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him before walking over to Donghyuck, sitting on the edge of his bed. Donghyuck didn’t even acknowledge him and continued to cry, making Johnny sigh sadly as he reached out and gently began to play with his son’s hair.

“You love him, don’t you?” he murmured. Donghyuck didn’t say anything and instead let out a loud whine before crying even harder. Johnny sighed and continued to run his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair, hushing him as he did so.

“Oh my baby…I know…I know…” he soothed. Donghyuck shook his head.

“It’s not fair! It’s not fair!” he screamed. Johnny tsked before he reached out and gently pulled Donghyuck over to him, hugging him tightly. Donghyuck buried his face into Johnny’s chest as Johnny rested his head on Donghyuck’s head, sighing.

“I know, baby, I know it’s not fair” he whispered as he rubbed Donghyuck’s back, Donghyuck still sobbing. 

“I don’t want Mark to get married” Donghyuck wailed. Johnny nodded.

“I don’t want him to get married either, sweetheart. I don’t want him to get married either” he whispered before he sighed.

_‘_ _And this is why I hate politics’_ he thought to himself before he went back to comforting Donghyuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	10. Wedding Day

Over the next two days, Johnny, Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng helped Mark get ready for his wedding, making sure that he was properly cleaned up, his wedding suit was created, and that all other wedding preparations were going according to plan because my god did they not trust the elders to do anything. Donghyuck, on the other hand, decided to stay in his room and away from Mark because just even glancing at him caused him great emotional toil. Mark would always try to go talk to him, but anytime he got close to his room, Johnny or Yuta would intercept him and just shake their heads, saying he just wanted to be left alone. The one time Yuta or Johnny wasn’t around to stop him, Mark walked over to the door and reached out, grabbing the knob, only to get badly electrocuted. He let out a cry of pain as he clutched at his hand, looking at the door with sadness in his eyes before he sighed and turned away. Inside the room, Donghyuck heard Mark’s cry of pain and let out a soft sob as he sat on the bed, hugging his knees to his chest.

_‘I’m sorry Mark…but I just can’t see you right now’_ he thought to himself as he hugged his knees tighter to his chest and continued to cry.

~*~*~*~*~

The next day, when Mark went for his suit fitting, Johnny dragged Donghyuck out of his room and to the appointment. When Donghyuck protested, Johnny just fixed him with a look.

“It would mean a lot to him if you were there” he murmured. Donghyuck opened his mouth to argue before he sighed and nodded.

“Alright” he agreed. So Donghyuck went to the fitting, but he stayed in the shadows, watching from afar. He watched as Kun, Sicheng, Yuta, and Johnny fussed over Mark and argued with the tailor, making sure that everything was perfect. At one point, after Mark had gotten changed out of the suit and Yuta, Kun, Johnny, and Sicheng were arguing with the tailor about the fit and the color and other important aspects, Mark quietly slipped away to the back of the store where Donghyuck was hiding and stood before him.

“So, what did you think?” he asked. Donghyuck’s eyes widened.

“How did you know I was here?” he whispered. Mark smiled.

“I could sense you. Thanks for being here. It really means a lot” he thanked. Donghyuck blinked before he nodded and blushed.

“Yeah, sure, no problem” he mumbled. Mark then placed his hands on his hips.

“So, what’d you think of the suit?” he asked. Donghyuck shrugged.

“It was nice, but it was kind of flashy” he replied. Mark sighed.

“Finally, someone agrees with me. I think it’s supposed to be like a uniform? Like a royal uniform or something that like….people who’ve served in the royal army wear? But I’ve never done that! So why am I wearing it? I don’t know, I don’t like this” he grumbled. Donghyuck huffed.

“That makes two of us” he murmured. Mark looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

“You say something?” he asked. Donghyuck’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“Nope” he replied. Mark huffed, just as Yuta called out his name, making him turn and look at him.

“I’ll be there in a moment” he replied before he turned back to talk to Donghyuck, only to find that he had disappeared. His eyes widened and he looked around, but Donghyuck was nowhere to be found, making him sigh heavily before he turned and headed back to join the others in the finishing touches of his suit.

~*~*~*~*~

That evening, Donghyuck was sitting on his bed, so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the door to his room open and someone step inside.

“Haechan?” a soft voice called out, making Donghyuck jump and look over into the shadows.

“Who’s there?” he hissed, eyes glowing lilac. As the figure slowly walked towards him, he raised his hand, a fireball appearing in it, only to immediately crush the flame when Mark stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight pouring through his window.

“Mark” he whispered. Mark smiled slightly.

“Hi” he greeted. Donghyuck shook his head.

“How did you—” he started when Mark chuckled.

“Your door wasn’t activated this time” he explained. Donghyuck’s eyes widened as Mark walked closer to him.

“Can I sit?” he asked. Donghyuck blinked before he nodded and motioned for Mark to sit down, which he did. Both men sat in silence before Mark looked over at Donghyuck.

“Haechan—” he started before he let out a heavy sigh. Donghyuck looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?” he answered. Mark was quiet before he looked Donghyuck in the eyes.

“You’ll be there, right? At my…wedding?” he asked. Donghyuck blinked.

“You…you want me there?” he whispered. Mark nodded.

“Of course I do” he replied, reaching out to take Donghyuck’s hand.

“You’re my best friend, of course I want you there” he assured. Donghyuck looked at their hands before he let out a shuddery sigh.

“Alright” he agreed. Mark brightened.

“Really?” he breathed. Donghyuck looked up at him and smiled weakly.

“Of course. I…I wouldn’t miss it” he replied. Mark grinned and quickly threw his arms around Donghyuck, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you” he whispered. Donghyuck froze before he melted into Mark’s hug, burying his face in the prince’s neck.

~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, at the church (which had been renovated since the um…incident), the citizens from both Mark’s kingdom and the bride’s kingdom were sitting in the pews while

Kun, Johnny, and Sicheng stood on Mark’s side of the alter while the bride’s bridesmaid’s stood on her side of the alter. Donghyuck was sitting in the audience, dressed in his best suit, his eyes already wet. A few moments later, Yuta and Mark walked down the aisle, Mark glancing around until he made eye contact with Donghyuck. Mark smiled and nodded his head slightly, Donghyuck nodding his head slightly in return. Mark then turned his head towards the front and continued to walk towards the alter, a small smile on his face. When he reached the alter, Yuta looked at Mark and smiled fondly, leaning forward to press his forehead to his.

“Thanks hyung” Mark whispered. Yuta chuffed.

“You bet, kid” he replied before he turned and walked over to stand beside Sicheng. A few minutes later, the organ began to play and everyone stood up and turned to see a very petite woman, the princess, escorted by a _very_ tall man (taller than Johnny) walking down the aisle. Since her face was covered by a veil, Donghyuck couldn’t get a good look at her, but he had a feeling that she wouldn’t be good for Mark; hell, nobody would be good for Mark, in his opinion. After the princess was escorted by her father (Donghyuck was pretty sure that was her father), she stood before Mark at the alter; both of them facing each other. The priest then cleared his throat.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together in the sight of God to join together these two in holy Matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in Paradise, and into which holy estate these two people present come now to be joined. Therefore, if any man can shew any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him speak now, or else hereafter forever hold his peace” he declared.

“I object!” a voice suddenly called out, causing everyone to gasp and look over to see Donghyuck standing in the aisle.

“I OBJECT!” he screamed. However, before he could say anything else, the tall man that escorted the princess down the aisle came up behind him and grabbed him, wrapping his arms around him in a constricting bear hug. He then squeezed hard, causing Donghyuck let out a cry of pain.

“No one is going to ruin my daughter’s wedding” the man growled before he squeezed again. Donghyuck let out another cry of pain before he smirked.

“Sorry, buddy—” he started before he let out a loud shout, magic exploding from his body, sending the man flying away from him. He then landed on his feet and let out a huff.

“But I’m not letting your daughter marry my Mark” he declared, his magic surrounding him like an aura. Mark smiled fondly at him, just as the princess grabbed him and yanked him over, using him as a shield as she placed a blade to his throat. 

“Mark!” Kun, Sicheng, Johnny, and Yuta exclaimed as Donghyuck’s eyes widened in shock. He then took a step forward, only to have the princess press the blade deeper into Mark’s throat.

“Take one more step and I’ll kill him!” she screamed, just as the princess’ father let out a groan and pushed himself to his feet before he glared at Donghyuck.

“You” he growled before he rushed forward, hands out like he was going to wrap them around Donghyuck’s neck. Donghyuck’s eyes widened before he narrowed his eyes and ran towards the man, only to drop to the ground and sweep kick him, causing him to fall flat on his face. 

“Kid, what are you doing?” Kun hissed as the princess’ father pushed himself to his feet and snarled.

“Cheeky little shit. I’ll teach you to mess with me” he growled before he pointed his hand at him, his fingers mimicking a gun.

“Oh no. Shit, Donghyuck!” Johnny whispered before he rushed forward and tackled him to the ground, just as a blast of magic came shooting out of the man’s fingers like a bullet.

“Appa, what are you doing?” Donghyuck groaned. 

“Saving your ass, obviously” Johnny grumbled before he looked over his shoulder at the man.

“Don’t you know what he is?” he murmured. Donghyuck shook his head.

“No…” he groaned. Johnny sighed before he looked back at Donghyuck and gently flicked his forehead. Donghyuck whimpered and clutched at his forehead as Johnny pointed at the man.

“He’s a dragon. They both are” he deadpanned. Donghyuck’s eyes widened.

“Oh…” he whispered. Johnny nodded before he pushed himself up and off of Donghyuck, helping him sit up before they both looked over at Mark.

“We need to do something because she will probably kill him” Johnny murmured. Donghyuck looked at him in horror.

“What, why?” he demanded. Johnny huffed.

“Dragons are territorial. If you decide to take away something that they covet, they will kill the thing so that no one can have it” he explained. 

“Well then we gotta do something!!” Donghyuck exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet. However, as soon as he stood up, the princess’ father shot at him again, this time hitting him in the shoulder.

“GAH!” he screamed, crashing to the floor as he clutched at his shoulder. 

“HAECHAN!” Mark screamed from the altar, eyes glowing gold before he threw his head back, hitting the princess in the nose. The princess let out a cry of pain and dropped the blade as she made to cover her nose, allowing Mark to rush over to where Johnny was kneeling besides Donghyuck.

“Haechan. Haechan!” he exclaimed, looking at the young witch with wide eyes. Donghyuck hissed before he looked up at Mark.

“Not exactly how I thought our plan was going to go” he murmured. Mark tsked.

“Fuck the plan, you’re hurt!” he exclaimed. Donghyuck winced before he smiled weakly.

“Tis but a scratch” he replied. Mark shook his head.

Haechan, this isn’t a joke!” he exclaimed before he turned and glared at the princess and her father.

“You’re gonna pay for that” he hissed, slowly standing to his feet as his eyes glowed gold. The princess just let out a bark of a laugh as her father pointed at the altar.

“Get your ass back there and finish the job” he ordered. Mark snarled as lightning began to crackle around him, causing Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng to look at each other before they nodded and ran into the crowd.

“Everyone, if you could just follow us, we’ll safely escort you out of here” Kun called out. All of the guests quickly got up ran towards the doors of the church, only to have them slam in their faces.

“NO ONE LEAVES” the princess roared. Sicheng shook his head.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, bitch” he spat as he threw his own hand out, destroying the doors with his own blast of magic.

“Everyone, run! Now!” Yuta ordered. The guests took off without having to be told twice, causing the princess and her father to growl before the princess launched herself at Mark, blade out in front of her.

“YAAAAAHHH!!!” she screamed. Mark waited for her to get closer as the lightning around him began to glow brighter and get stronger and as soon as she was close enough, he let out an ear shattering wail, his magic exploding around him. Johnny quickly grabbed Donghyuck and pulled him close, covering his body with his as Yuta grabbed Kun and Sicheng, holding both of them tightly to protect them from the power that Mark was projecting. The princess and her father went flying; the princess crashing into the altar (just like the priestess) while her father crashed through the pews and landed unconscious. When Mark’s power died down, he let out a huff before slowly walking towards the princess.

“Mark!” Donghyuck called out, making Mark stop and turn to see him gently push Johnny off of him before pushing himself to his feet and running over to him.

“Don’t…don’t kill her” he murmured, still clutching at his shoulder. Mark growled.

“Why not? She hurt you, didn’t she? Or her father did, anyways” he growled. Donghyuck shook his head.

“Still…she doesn’t deserve to die” he murmured. Mark looked at him before he sighed.

“What do I do with them then?” he asked. Donghyuck smiled and shook his head.

“Forget about them for now. We have plan to finish, don’t we?” he asked. Mark laughed and leaned his head against Donghyuck’s, making Johnny, Yuta, Sicheng, and Kun look at them in confusion.

“Okay, this is the second time I’ve heard you say “plan”. What the hell is this fucking plan?!” Johnny exclaimed. Mark and Donghyuck looked over at them before they both laughed.

~*~*~*~*~

_Last night, after Mark and Donghyuck hugged, Donghyuck pulled away and looked into Mark’s eyes._

_“Mark…” he started. Mark looked at him and raised an eyebrow._

_“Hmm?” he replied. Donghyuck stared at him before he lowered his head and let out a sob._

_“I don’t…I don’t want you to get married” he sobbed. Mark’s eyes widened before he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder._

_“Haechan—” he started when Donghyuck shook his head._

_“I can’t…I can’t lose you” he croaked. Mark shook his head._

_“You’re not going to lose me, Haechan. I’m still going to be your best friend” he assured. Donghyuck lifted his head, his eyes glowing lilac._

_“That’s not what I mean, you fucking idiot” he growled. Mark frowned._

_“What do you mean, then?” he demanded. Donghyuck looked at him, lilac eyes filling with tears._

_“I love you, god damn it” he whispered before he hung his head, almost ashamed. Mark looked at him in shock._

_“What?” he whispered. Donghyuck’s head snapped up, eyes glowing brightly._

_“I FUCKING LOVE YOU, GOD DAMN IT!” he screamed. Thankfully he had put a silencing spell on the inside of his room so that no one from the outside could hear him scream or wail at night whenever he thought about Mark getting married. Mark stared at him for a moment before he reached out and pulled Donghyuck in for a tight hug._

_“Mark—” Donghyuck started when Mark pulled away, looking into his eyes, a bright smile on his face._

_“Mark wha—” Donghyuck started again when Mark reached up and cupped his face before crashing his lips onto Donghyuck’s. Donghyuck’s eyes widened in shock as Mark kissed him deeply, carding his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair as he did so. Donghyuck melted into the kiss, letting out a soft whine when they pulled away. Both men blinked at one another, their vision a little hazy, before Donghyuck shook his head._

_“What…what was that about?” he asked. Mark smiled._

_“I love you too” he replied. Donghyuck looked at him in shock._

_“What?” he whispered. Mark smiled wider and nodded._

_“I’ve been in love with you for a while. Like…I think since I’ve met you?” he explained. Donghyuck’s mouth fell open and he gently hit Mark on the arm._

_“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” he exclaimed. Mark laughed nervously._

_“Because I didn’t think you felt the same way” he admitted. Donghyuck shook his head._

_“Good lord, are there any braincells behind that pretty face of yours?” he teased. Mark blinked in shock._

_“You think I’m pretty?” he whispered. Donghyuck huffed._

_“Always have” he replied. Mark smiled as he reached out and brushed Donghyuck’s cheek with his thumb._

_“Well, I think you’re beautiful” he murmured. Donghyuck blushed before he threw his arms around Mark, both men hugging each other tightly. When they pulled away again, Donghyuck looked into Mark’s eyes._

_“We need to come up with a plan to stop you from getting married” he declared. Mark raised an eyebrow._

_“What do you have in mind?” he asked._

~*~*~*~*~

Johnny, Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng stared at Donghyuck and Mark before Kun shook his head.

“You two…are the most cunning witches I have ever met in my life” he murmured. Donghyuck grinned while Mark laughed as Johnny stood to his feet.

“Hold it!” he declared. Donghyuck and Mark looked at him with wide eyes as he slowly walked over and stood before them, looming over them slightly.

“I’m his father. You never asked me permission if you could marry him” he reminded. Mark gulped as Donghyuck pouted at him.

“Um…” Mark started.

“Appa!” Donghyuck whined. 

“You didn’t ask us either, Donghyuck” Yuta called out as he and Sicheng walked over to stand beside Johnny. Donghyuck looked over at them and gulped while behind all of them, Kun just shook his head and let out a soft sigh before he slowly walked over to them.

“Children” he called out, making the five of them turn and look at him. He then walked in between Yuta and Johnny, taking Mark and Donghyuck’s hands as he led them to altar. Mark and Donghyuck looked at each other in confusion as Kun stood before them, not before pausing to look over at the unconscious princess. He let out a tsk and held out his hand, the princess’s body levitating in the air, before he nonchalantly threw her over to where her father’s unconscious body was. However, before it hit the ground, he waved his hand again, freezing the body mid-air as he slowly lowered her to the ground because while she did almost try to kill mark, she at least deserved a _little_ respect. Once she was taken care of, Kun cleared his throat and looked out at Yuta, Sicheng, and Johnny.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together in the sight of God to join together these men in holy Matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in Paradise, and into which holy estate these two people present come now to be joined. Therefore, if any man can shew any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him speak now, or else hereafter forever hold his peace” he declared. Yuta, Sicheng, and Johnny looked at each other before they shook their heads and looked back at Kun. Mark and Donghyuck looked at their “parents” with happiness in their eyes as Kun cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him.

“I’m sure we want to skip all the vow saying and nonsense like that, so…by the power vested in me, I hereby declare you two…King and Consort!” he proclaimed. Mark and Donghyuck looked at each other before they both laughed and rested their heads together, their hands held tightly in the others. Out in the audience, Yuta, Sicheng, and Johnny clapped loudly; Johnny letting out “whoops” of joy. They were happy for their boys; they definitely deserved it after everything they had gone through. While Yuta, Sicheng, and Johnny were cheering for the new couple, Kun cupped his hands before throwing them up in the air, a single shining firework shooting from his hands. The firework shot towards the roof of the church but before it broke through, it exploded into thousands of little stars that rained down upon Mark and Donghyuck, adorning their hair with glittery stardust. 

“Is this everything that you could ever wish for?” Donghyuck whispered. Mark looked at him and smiled.

“Everything and more” he replied. Donghyuck grinned as Mark took his hand, both men walking down the aisle before stopping before Yuta, Sicheng, and Johnny.

“Congratulations, kids” Johnny praised, smiling at his son and his son-in-law fondly. Donghyuck and Mark smiled at him before they suddenly threw their arms around him, Sicheng, and Yuta, hugging them tightly. The three witches blinked in surprise as Mark pulled away and looked back at Kun.

“Come on, hyung! Join in!” he called out. Kun laughed and nodded, quickly hurrying over to join in the hug. The six men then hugged each other tightly, reveling in each other’s love like the family that they were. As they hugged, Mark realized that fairytale endings didn't just happen in fairytales. When the right person, or people, come along, a happy, fairytale ending was possible. For anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! It's been a hot second, but here I am with the end of Witch Hunt! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!

**Author's Note:**

> Another new story! Also my first MarkHyuck center story! Hope you guys enjoy it! I really enjoy writing fantasy, especially anything that has to deal with witches or magic or supernatural elements. Please enjoy and don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


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